- Romanian Coast Guard reported a marine drone a few hundred meters from Neptun Deep's gas extraction operations on Thursday morning, located 80 miles east of Constanța.
- Romania's defense ministry requested NATO authorization to take charge of the situation following the drone sighting.
- Two Romanian F-16 fighter jets were scrambled and successfully destroyed the drone, which was confirmed not to be of Ukrainian origin.
- President Nicușor Dan accused Russia of deploying the drone and condemned the increasing frequency of such incidents.
- The Neptun Deep gas project is expected to make Romania the largest natural gas producer in the European Union once developed.
- The platform is located around 99 miles off the coast and is expected to begin producing gas in 2027.
Romania's military took decisive action on Thursday, scrambling F-16 fighter jets to destroy a marine drone detected near the Neptun Deep gas project, a critical infrastructure site in the Black Sea.347
The Romanian Coast Guard reported the drone's presence just a few hundred meters from gas extraction operations, prompting defense minister Radu-Dinel Miruță to request NATO authorization to address the situation.1
"Following an assessment and in coordination with the President of Romania, the decision was made to destroy the drone in order to protect the lives of the hundreds of personnel working on the platform and to safeguard critical infrastructure," Miruță stated.
The Neptun Deep project, located approximately 99 miles off the coast, is set to make Romania the largest natural gas producer in the European Union once operational in 2027.8
President Nicușor Dan condemned the incident, asserting that the drone originated from Russia. He described the operation as "an action against time" to ensure the safety of personnel and infrastructure.56
A NATO spokesperson confirmed the engagement, stating, "One of the aircraft successfully engaged the drone, demonstrating continued readiness to respond to any potential threat."
Romanian investigations indicated that only a single drone was involved, and officials confirmed it was not of Ukrainian origin, further escalating tensions in the region amid ongoing geopolitical conflicts.
“The drone was spotted 80 miles east of Constanța, and the defense minister said it was not of Ukrainian origin. The operation was described as 'an action against time' by President Nicușor Dan, who condemned Russia's 'irresponsible incidents.'”
CNBC
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