Interim defense minister asks Ukraine to self-detonate drones approaching Romanian waters

Romanian interim defense minister, Radu Miruță, is set to forward a proposal to Ukraine to ensure that maritime drones that have gone out of control are programmed to self-detonate before entering Romania’s territorial waters.

The request comes after a Ukrainian maritime drone exploded in Romania's Port of Constanța on Friday morning, June 5, after being discovered near a maritime rescue facility. Ukraine informed Romania of the out-of-control drone, which self-detonated after the area had been secured and evacuated, with no injuries reported.

However, Romanian authorities are eager to prevent similar situations in the future. Radu Miruță said that Ukrainian manufacturers can program the drones to self-detonate without human intervention when they approach Romania’s territorial waters.

“I want to propose to our neighbors in Ukraine, who are in such a harsh war generated by the Russian Federation, to guarantee that all drones they deploy in the Black Sea are programmed with this technical iteration,” he said, cited by Euronews Romania.

The drone that reached the port last week sparked a wave of discussions regarding safety on the Romanian Black Sea coast. Without a clear explanation of how the drone reached the port, tourism officials said the public space risks being filled with speculation, interpretations, and alarmist scenarios that could affect the image of the Romanian seaside.

To prevent that, representatives of the Mamaia-Constanța Destination Management Organization called on the authorities to organize a joint public briefing by the responsible institutions and present the current situation, existing monitoring and intervention measures, and the real level of risk for the population and tourists.

(Photo source: Australian Naval Institute / SBU on Telegram)