Constanta, Romania. A maritime drone of the type used in the war in neighboring Ukraine self-detonated on Friday near an oil terminal in Romania’s Black Sea port of Constanta, officials said, with no casualties reported. The incident was the second major episode in a populated area in Romania within a week amid growing concern over spillover from the war in Ukraine.
Incident near oil terminal
Romania’s defence ministry said the object self-detonated at 10:30 a.m. (0730 GMT). It said the drone was not part of the Romanian army’s equipment and was not involved in recent Black Sea exercises.
Officials did not specify whether the drone was of Ukrainian or Russian origin.
Notifications and responses
News website www.g4media.ro cited Constanta county prefect Adrian Teodor Picoiu as saying Ukraine had notified Romania that the drone was part of a group of five, with one exploding in Ukraine.
Authorities in Ukraine did not immediately comment. Russia’s embassy in Romania said in a statement that the drones were Ukrainian naval unmanned aerial vehicles.
Security measures at the port
The port, Romania’s largest, was evacuated, and residents were warned to avoid the Black Sea coast. Ships and two helicopters were surveying the area, deputy Interior Minister Raed Arafat told a briefing.
“We are not panicking, our measures are purely preventative,” Arafat told reporters.
Second incident in a week
The explosion came a week after authorities said a Russian drone crashed into an apartment building in the southeastern Romanian city of Galati, near the border with Ukraine, injuring two people.
Authorities had described that strike as the first time in the war that a drone hit a densely populated area in a NATO state.
Strategic importance of Constanta
Constanta is Romania’s largest port and a key hub for Ukraine.