Romanian Navy Destroys Russian Drones in Black Sea

The Romanian Naval Forces destroyed two Russian-made Gerbera-type drones on August 11 after they were discovered drifting in Romania's exclusive economic zone. A civilian vessel first spotted the drones approximately 90 nautical miles off Constanta, near the strategic Neptun Deep offshore gas project.

Acting Defense Minister Radu Miruță stated that the decision to carry out a controlled destruction by detonation was made for the safety of the shipping lane and the ongoing works around the gas platform. The Ministry of National Defence coordinated the response, utilizing EOD divers to neutralize the systems due to the risk of explosive payloads.

To determine the origin of the equipment, the Romanian government contacted Ukrainian authorities, who confirmed the drones did not belong to their forces. While the Gerbera platform is identified as a Russian-produced system used for reconnaissance and attacks, the incident occurs amid a broader pattern of Russian drone incursions into Romanian airspace. In response to these threats, Romania has expanded cooperation with Bulgaria and Turkey to protect critical maritime infrastructure.