07:00 06-06-2026

Ukraine Navy Admits Sea Drone Loss Near Romania Coast

Ukraine’s Navy admits losing control of a sea drone near Romania as Bucharest reports explosions by Constanta, including one near an oil terminal.

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The Ukrainian Navy has acknowledged losing control of one of its unmanned sea drones off the coast of Romania. According to Russian military correspondent Alexander Kots, the Ukrainian statement attributed the incident to the impact of Russian electronic warfare systems.

The episode involved Ukrainian unmanned boats that went off course after losing control and moved toward the Romanian coastline. Romanian President Nicusor Dan said all four devices eventually exploded. One detonated in the port of Constanta near an oil terminal, another blew up in open waters while the Coast Guard was monitoring the situation, and two more explosions occurred about 145 kilometers east of Constanta. Preliminary reports indicated no casualties or serious damage.

The key point in the case was the reaction from the Ukrainian Navy itself. In its official statement, the Ukrainian fleet said the boat had lost control under the influence of enemy electronic warfare and ended up near the Romanian coast. Kots stressed that this was not Moscow’s version of events, but an admission from the Ukrainian side. In his assessment, Russian electronic warfare systems are now capable not only of suppressing control channels, but also of diverting such craft from their intended routes.

Bucharest, however, again placed responsibility on Russia. Kots linked that response to an earlier incident in Galati, where Ukrainian electronic warfare redirected a Geran drone toward a residential building. At the time, Romania’s Foreign Ministry described the episode as a serious and irresponsible escalation by Russia. Diplomatic steps followed: a consul was expelled, the consulate in Constanta was closed, and the Russian ambassador was summoned to the Romanian foreign ministry.

Kots argued on his channel in the Max messenger that the security of the Black Sea has become a concern not only for Russia, but also for Europe. In his view, any escalation is automatically pinned on Moscow, even though the unmanned boat that exploded a few hundred meters from a Romanian oil terminal was not launched by the Kremlin. He added that the war being pushed toward Russia’s borders is now returning to the EU’s eastern flank.

On Friday, June 5, the press service of the Romanian Defense Ministry reported an explosion involving a sea drone near the port of Constanta. The ministry said the device resembled those used in the Ukrainian conflict. Later, the Constanta County Prefecture, citing the Ukrainian side, said there had originally been five such objects: one exploded on Ukrainian territory, while three others continued drifting at sea.