On June 5 at 5:50 AM, employees of the Romanian Sea Rescue Agency (ARSVOM) discovered an unusual object at berth No. 78 of Constanța port: a green unmanned aerial vehicle 7–8 meters long with antennas, stuck in anti-pollution booms right next to the agency's headquarters. After almost five hours, at 10:28, it exploded — while specialists from the rescue service and the military were assessing it.
What Exploded and Why This Matters
Romania's Ministry of Defense confirmed: the drone "corresponds to the type used in the war in Ukraine," does not belong to the Romanian military, and did not participate in recent exercises in the Black Sea. According to Digi24, it carried dozens of kilograms of explosives on board. The drone detonated on its own — at the moment when the area had been cordoned off and the neutralization procedure was underway.
"These are precautionary measures. If there are other drones — we want to make sure there won't be another explosion in a place where people haven't been evacuated."
Romania's Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Raed Arafat
After the explosion, authorities evacuated the coastline from Constanța to Tulcea. Two helicopters swept the waters. According to Digi24, three more naval drones were found on the Constanța coast.
The Week That Changed the Logic of the "Safe Rear"
The port incident occurred exactly one week after a Russian "Shahed-2" drone struck a residential building on Romanian soil for the first time — in the city of Galați, injuring several people. That time, Romania's Foreign Ministry classified the event as a "serious escalation" by Russia and announced the activation of NATO Article 4 — consultations among allies. NATO condemned Russia's "irresponsible actions," and President Nicolae Ciucă announced the closure of the Russian consulate in Constanța and declared the consul persona non grata.
Constanța is not an ordinary port. It is NATO's main logistics hub in the Black Sea, through which part of military supplies to Ukraine pass. A naval drone with explosives at a civilian agency's berth — just a few hundred meters from the terminals — is no longer a matter of "carried by the current."
Whose Drone — and How Did It Get There
Officially, Bucharest has not named those responsible. The phrasing "the type used in the war in Ukraine" is neutral: such devices exist in the Ukrainian Navy (the Sea Baby series from the SBU), and theoretically could drift after a failed mission. At the same time, NV, citing further statements from Romania's Defense Ministry, indicates that the ministry confirmed: it is about similarities specifically with Ukrainian unmanned aircraft. The SBU in similar previous incidents claimed that all its Sea Baby units were carrying out combat missions.
- The drone was found at 5:50, the explosion occurred at 10:28 — for almost five hours, specialists could neither neutralize it nor evacuate it.
- The object was stuck in anti-pollution booms — meaning it entered the port by water, not dropped from the air.
- Three more drones were found on the coast after the explosion — indicating a wave, not an isolated incident.
The Prosecutor's Office at the Court of Appeal in Constanța has launched an investigation. President Nicolae Ciucă, who learned of the explosion on his way to the EU-Western Balkans summit in Montenegro, stated that he does "not panic," but is personally controlling the situation.
If the investigation confirms that the drone entered Romanian waters intentionally rather than drifting after being knocked off course, Bucharest will face a choice: either demand a specific response from allies under Article 5, or quietly strengthen port defenses without escalating rhetoric ahead of elections.
