Explosive-laden naval drone destroyed near Neptun Deep gas platform in Romania's EEZOn the morning of 20 August 2026 a commercial vessel reported a drifting unmanned surface vessel a few hundred metres from gas operations at the Neptun Alpha platform of the Neptun Deep project, about 80 nautical miles east of Constanța in Romania's exclusive economic zone. A Romanian F-16 hit it with its onboard cannon, and a Naval Forces explosive ordnance disposal team then neutralised it, finding that it carried an explosive charge. Nine days earlier, divers had destroyed two drifting Gerbera-type aerial drones found about 90 nautical miles from Constanța near the same project.
Established by. President Nicușor Dan (X, 20 August 2026): "I strongly condemn the intensification of these irresponsible types of incidents by the Russian Federation." Acting Defence Minister Radu Miruță said Ukraine had officially confirmed through a direct channel that the drone "is not of Ukrainian origin". MApN Press Release No. 170 does not state the drone's origin, and no prosecutors' finding or diplomatic démarche on this incident was found, so the status stays "suspected".
Latest. No official finding on the drone's origin had been published as of 20 October 2026. When the North Atlantic Council discussed Black Sea security on 10 June, Dan had called Black Sea security essential to protecting critical infrastructure including Neptun Deep.
Link to the war against Ukraine. The incident is part of the spread of Russia's war against Ukraine into the western Black Sea, where drones have repeatedly drifted or strayed into Romania's waters.