A Romanian F-16 fighter jet destroyed a naval drone near the Neptun Deep gas platform in the Black Sea this morning, with the country's president holding Russia responsible for the incident. Romania's Ministry of National Defence initially claimed the unmanned vehicle was carrying explosives, but later clarified it was a naval drone.
President Nicușor Dan condemned Russia in a statement accusing Moscow of endangering "critical infrastructure" and people "working on the platform". "I strongly condemn the intensification of this type of irresponsible incidents by the Russian Federation", he wrote in a post on X.
According to a Facebook post by Romanian Defence Minister Radu Miruță, the drone was spotted by Romania's Coast Guard just hundreds of metres from the Neptun Deep platform, where several hundred people were working. After consulting with the president, Romanian authorities deployed two F-16 fighter jets and ordered the drone to be destroyed. Miruță stated the drone did not originate from the neighbouring country: "Through the direct communication channel recently established with the Ukrainian side, I received official confirmation that it is not of Ukrainian origin".
European Commission President Von der Leyen also addressed the incident, expressing European solidarity with Romania. "An increasingly aggressive campaign of threats is underway, alarming our citizens and seeking to divide our Union", she wrote on X. Von der Leyen described the incident as "hybrid warfare".
Neptun Deep is Romania's largest natural gas development and is located in the Black Sea. Romania began developing the project in 2023, with the first gas extraction scheduled for 2027; it is expected to help Romania become the European Union's largest natural gas producer. The Russian embassy in Romania did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
