Ukraine has officially announced that it lost control of a naval drone after it was disrupted by Russian electronic warfare systems, causing it to drift toward Romania's Black Sea coast. The Ukrainian Navy said it provided Romanian naval authorities with the necessary information to prevent civilian casualties.

In a statement published on Facebook, the Ukrainian Navy said one of its unmanned surface vessels lost control while carrying out missions in the Black Sea operational zone.

“During the execution of missions in the Black Sea operational zone, one of the Ukrainian Navy's unmanned surface vessels lost control under the influence of the enemy's electronic warfare systems and ended up near the coast of Romania," the statement said.

It added that it had shared relevant information with the Romanian Navy in order to prevent losses among the civilian population.

The Ukrainian Embassy in Bucharest also shared a post of the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Heorhii Tykhyi, who said Ukraine’s Navy informed the Romanian side “in a timely manner” about a naval drone that was jammed by Russia and lost control. 

“Both states’ relevant authorities have been in close touch since then, took control of the situation, and made sure the area was safe,” it said.

The statements came hours after a maritime drone self-detonated in the civilian section of Constanța Port, at the Romanian Black Sea, triggering a large-scale security response. Romanian authorities had secured and evacuated the area before the explosion, and no injuries were reported.

Earlier in the day, the Russian Embassy in Bucharest claimed that the drone that exploded in Constanța, as well as several similar vessels reportedly drifting toward Romanian territorial waters, were Ukrainian unmanned maritime vehicles. The embassy rejected any suggestion of Russian responsibility for the incident.

Romanian authorities have not yet officially established the origin of the drone that exploded in the port, and the investigation remains ongoing. The incident prompted precautionary evacuations along parts of Romania's Black Sea coast, while helicopters and other security assets were deployed to search for additional drones reportedly spotted in the area.

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Pavlo Lys/Dreamstime.com)