Romania seeks self‑destruct protocol for maritime drones after Black Sea incident near Constanța

On 5 June, a Ukrainian‑operated maritime drone exploded in the vicinity of the Port of Constanța in the Black Sea after losing control. Romania’s Defence Minister Radu Miruță announced that the Ministry of National Defence has formally requested clarification from Ukraine, forwarding a set of ten questions about the drone’s mission, the moment control was lost, the communication systems used, the explosive payload and why the drone approached Romanian territorial waters.

Romania is also proposing that future Ukrainian maritime drones be programmed to automatically self‑destruct if they drift into Romanian waters without human intervention. The minister said the answers will be examined alongside Romanian data and the investigation will continue until all circumstances are clarified.