On Thursday, August 20, 2026, the Romanian Ministry of Defence reported two serious incidents involving an unmanned aerial vehicle and an unmanned surface vessel in the context of Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine.
Photo: Nicușor Dan via X
Airspace violation
The first incident took place overnight from Wednesday to Thursday during another large-scale Russian missile and drone attack on targets in Ukraine. According to a press release, at 2:33 a.m. local time radar systems detected a group of aerial targets near the border with Ukraine.
Two C.15/CE.15 Hornet/EF-18AM aircraft, the local designation for F-18A+/B+ Hornets, from the Spanish Air and Space Force (Ejército del Aire y del Espacio) were scrambled to monitor the situation. They were supported by a Romanian IAR-330 SOCAT attack helicopter. At 3:30 a.m., an RO-Alert warning was issued to the population.
At 3:21 a.m., one of the drones entered Romanian airspace, penetrating to a point around 13 km east of Galați municipality. At 3:24 a.m., the IAR-330 SOCAT crew reported that the target had crashed around 4 km northeast of Grindu in Tulcea County, in an uninhabited area. A fire broke out after the aircraft hit the ground but went out on its own. No casualties or material damage were reported. The area was secured by the military and Border Police, while the air-raid alert was lifted at 3:52 a.m. As was later reported, an on-site inspection established that the wreckage posed no explosive hazard. It was removed by the Border Police for further examination. The case was taken over by the Prosecutor’s Office attached to the Constanța Court of Appeal.
Maritime drone destroyed by F-16
The second incident took place in the morning. Two F-16AM multirole combat aircraft of the Romanian Air Force (Forțele Aeriene Române) responded to a small maritime drone located within Romania’s exclusive economic zone, near the Neptun Alpha natural gas drilling platform, around 80 nautical miles east of Constanța. One of the aircraft engaged the target with its 20 mm M61A1 Vulcan cannon and hit it. The presence of the drifting maritime drone had been reported at around 6:28 a.m. by a merchant vessel. A Coast Guard ship carrying a Romanian Navy EOD team was dispatched to the area where the maritime drone was located in order to inspect it.
Romanian President Nicușor Dan commented on the incident on social media:
„I congratulate the Romanian Armed Forces and the pilots of the two Romanian F-16 fighter aircraft on the successful mission to destroy the maritime drone located near the Neptun Deep platform in the Black Sea. I also congratulate the Coast Guard for the promptness with which it reported the presence of the drone in the area. This was a race against time, in which the top priority was protecting the lives of the people working on the platform and keeping critical infrastructure out of any potential danger. I strongly condemn the intensification of these kinds of irresponsible incidents by the Russian Federation. We remain vigilant alongside our NATO allies in order to defend ourselves and repel such provocations.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also commented:
„Today, Romania destroyed a naval drone carrying explosives near its Neptun Deep platform in the Black Sea. An escalating campaign of threats is underway, unsettling our citizens and seeking to divide our Union. This is hybrid warfare. The founding mission of our Union is to preserve peace. Today, that also means having the capacity to deter provocation and aggression. Our Readiness 2030 agenda is mobilising up to EUR 800 billion. With the European Drone Defence Initiative and the Eastern Flank Watch, we are scaling up production in Europe to deliver capabilities Member States need. So we can respond to emerging threats with speed, unity and resolve.”
On the night of Wednesday to Thursday, 20 August, at 02:23, the military radar system detected a group of aerial targets in the vicinity of the border with Ukraine, north of Tulcea county.
Two F-18 aircraft of the Spanish Air and Space Force were scrambled to monitor the… pic.twitter.com/rPVzQAdsSX— MApN (@MApNRomania) August 20, 2026
On Thursday, August 20, two Romanian Air Force F-16 aircraft scrambled towards the location where a small maritime drone was spotted in Romania’s Exclusive Economic Zone, near the Neptun Alpha platform, approximately 80 nautical miles east of Constanța. One of the aircraft… pic.twitter.com/pq1OEN5BJZ
— MApN (@MApNRomania) August 20, 2026
Felicit Armata Română și piloții celor două avioane de vânătoare F-16 românești pentru succesul misiunii de distrugere a dronei marine aflate în apropierea platformei Neptun Deep din Marea Neagră. Felicit și Garda de Coastă pentru promptitudinea cu care a semnalat prezența dronei… pic.twitter.com/iq8dVkcoXH
— Nicușor Dan (@NicusorDanRO) August 20, 2026
Today, Romania destroyed a naval drone carrying explosives near its Neptun Deep platform in the Black Sea.
An escalating campaign of threats is underway, unsettling our citizens and seeking to divide our Union.
This is hybrid warfare.
The founding mission of our Union is to…
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) August 20, 2026
We have now been informed that a naval drone—which is NOT Ukrainian (according to the Minister of Defense)—loaded with explosives was destroyed 80-100 meters from the Neptun Deep platform.
F-16 were used to destroy it, firing their onboard cannons (the cannon is a 6-barrel… pic.twitter.com/B5ODtxIgS4
— Radu Hossu 🇹🇩🇺🇦 (@RaduHossu) August 20, 2026
