Romanian military personnel destroyed two Gerbera-type drones discovered in the Black Sea near the Neptun Deep gas project. The drones were spotted by a civilian vessel and were drifting within Romania’s exclusive economic zone. Military divers carried out a controlled detonation to neutralize them. The origin of the drones has not yet been officially established, although Ukraine confirmed that they were not Ukrainian.

According to Romanian Defense Minister Radu Miruță, the drones posed a potential threat to maritime navigation and the energy infrastructure located nearby. The incident occurred amid continuing Russian attacks on Ukraine and repeated cases of Russian drones violating Romanian airspace.

Romanian military forces destroyed two Russian drones in the Black Sea

The incident is particularly significant because of the drones’ proximity to Neptun Deep, Romania’s largest offshore gas project in the Black Sea. The project is being developed by state-owned Romgaz together with OMV Petrom and is scheduled to begin gas production in 2027. Romania expects Neptun Deep to significantly increase domestic gas production and strengthen the country’s energy security.

The launch of Neptun Deep is expected to make Romania the largest natural gas producer in the European Union. Therefore, any incident in the immediate vicinity of the project carries not only military but also strategic energy implications.

Another incident occurred on August 13 off the coast of the Romanian resort of Costinești. Tourists discovered an object resembling a drone fragment in the water near the shore. Following the report, authorities temporarily restricted access to the affected section of the beach.

A team of Romanian military EOD divers was dispatched to the site. Following an inspection, specialists determined that the fragment did not pose a pyrotechnic threat. It was subsequently handed over to the coast guard for further examination. The origin of the fragment is being investigated by the prosecutor’s office attached to the Constanța Court of Appeal.

The incident occurred on the same day that Romania’s Ministry of National Defence announced a new air alert in the Tulcea area. According to the ministry, several Russian drones were heading toward the Ukrainian port city of Izmail, prompting two Spanish fighter jets stationed in Romania to be scrambled.

The latest developments indicate an expanding range of security threats facing Romania in its part of the Black Sea. In addition to direct violations of its airspace, Romanian authorities are increasingly having to respond to drones and drone fragments drifting at sea, while also taking into account risks to ports, shipping routes, and energy infrastructure.

Romania, Bulgaria, and Turkey have already stepped up joint measures to enhance security in the Black Sea. In particular, the three countries have previously cooperated in detecting and neutralizing naval mines and in July agreed to expand cooperation on the protection of critical infrastructure.

Thus, the appearance of drones near Neptun Deep is particularly significant as Romania prepares to launch one of the region’s most important energy projects. The incidents demonstrate that the security of future gas infrastructure is becoming an integral part of the broader protection system for Romania’s coastline and energy facilities in the Black Sea.

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14.08.2026 06:29