On Friday, June 5, 2026, the Romanian Ministry of Defence reported that a naval drone had been detected in the civilian section of the port of Constanța in the morning and later exploded without causing any casualties.
Illustrative image: Sea Baby uncrewed combat boats / Photo: Security Service of Ukraine
„The maritime drone discovered this morning, June 5, in the civilian Port of Constanța, near the headquarters of the Romanian Agency for Saving Human Life at Sea, self-detonated at around 10:30, causing no casualties.
The area had already been secured and isolated by forces from the Romanian Intelligence Service, the Coast Guard, and the Ministry of National Defence, and the object was being assessed and made safe at the time.
The maritime drone is of the type used in the war in Ukraine.
We would like to clarify that the object is not part of the Romanian Armed Forces’ inventory and was not involved in recent exercises organized by the Ministry of National Defence in the Black Sea area.
The situation is evolving, and we will provide official information and data as they become available.
The case is being investigated by the Prosecutor’s Office attached to the Constanța Court of Appeal.”
Romanian Ministry of Defence
According to media reports, the drone was spotted at around 5:50 a.m., while the ministry received the information at 6:20 a.m.
Romanian President Nicușor Dan issued a statement on the matter:
„On my way to Montenegro, I was informed about the explosion of a maritime drone in the Port of Constanța.
Law enforcement and security structures acted promptly and preventively evacuated the area before the explosion, and so far there are no indications of casualties. The priority was, and remains, the protection of human life and the security of port infrastructure.
The circumstances in which the drone reached the port, as well as any additional risks, are being analyzed, and the directly responsible authorities will provide updates as the investigation progresses.
This is the second significant security incident this week on the Romanian coast, following the discovery of a naval mine between Vama Veche and 2 Mai, in addition to the incident in Galați.
With a military conflict on our border, it is clear that the security environment we are in is a sensitive one, which is why we will maintain a high level of vigilance. Such extremely serious situations are the direct consequences of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.
As a NATO member state with access to the Black Sea, we will continue to cooperate closely with our allies and take all necessary measures to protect our citizens and national interests.”
The Polish Embassy in Bucharest issued a statement:
„Evacuation of the coast in the city of Constanța following the introduction of the Red Intervention Plan after the explosion of a maritime drone. Please follow the recommendations and instructions of law enforcement services and local authorities.”
UPDATE:
The press service of the Ukrainian Navy, said on social media that the maritime drone belonged to it:
„While carrying out missions in the Black Sea operational area, one of the uncrewed surface vessels of the Ukrainian Navy lost control under the influence of enemy electronic warfare systems and ended up near the coast of Romania.
The Ukrainian Navy provided the necessary information to the Romanian Naval Forces in order to prevent civilian casualties.”
Not the first incident
This is the second case of a maritime drone entering Romanian territorial waters during the ongoing full-scale war with Russia. On December 3, 2025, EOD divers from the Romanian Navy’s 39th Diving Center, specialized in countering explosive devices, conducted a mission at the request of the Border Police to neutralize an object posing a threat to navigation in the Black Sea. It turned out to be a Ukrainian Sea Baby-type uncrewed combat boat.
Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, which also involves the Black Sea basin, the Romanian naval forces have continuously monitored and supervised their area of maritime and river responsibility, both with their own ships and aircraft and in cooperation with other branches of the Romanian Armed Forces and other NATO member states. In addition to maritime drones, which sometimes drift and are washed ashore, as has happened in Turkey, naval mines also pose a threat to navigation.
According to available information, Sea Baby drones are 6 m long, 2 m wide, and 0.6 m high. They carry an 850-kg explosive charge or six launchers for RPV-16 thermobaric grenades. They can reach a high surface speed of up to 49 kt and have a range of at least 1,000 km. They were later fitted with a single Molniya/Vympel R-60 air-to-air missile, designated AA-8 Aphid by DIA/NATO, for self-defense against Russian helicopters. Other Ukrainian uncrewed combat boats, including the Magura V5 and V7, use R-73 and AIM-9 missiles.
Sea Baby drones are used by the 385th Separate Brigade of Special-Purpose Unmanned Maritime Systems, subordinate to the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). They made their debut in the second attack on the Crimean Bridge, also known as the Kerch Bridge, on July 17, 2023. They were later used, among other operations, in attacks on Russian vessels: on September 14 against the Bora-class patrol corvette RFS Samum, and in October against the Project 22160 patrol ship RFS Pavel Derzhavin.
On November 28, 2025, they attacked the Russian Shadow Fleet tankers Kairos and Virat, while on December 2 of the same year they attacked Midvolga 2, which was sailing in ballast, without cargo, to Novorossiysk. In December 2025, the SBU reported that the Project 636.6 Varshavyanka-class submarine B-271 Kolpino in the port of Novorossiysk had been hit by an uncrewed underwater vehicle called Sub Sea Baby.
It is not known whether today’s explosion was caused by a Sea Baby drone, though. Ukraine also uses the aforementioned series of Magura maritime unmanned systems, short for Maritime Autonomous Guard Unmanned Robotic Apparatus, designed and manufactured by UFORCE. They are in service with the Group 13 special unit of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine (HUR MO). In this context, a possible candidate would be the Magura V5 drone in its basic kamikaze version, measuring 5.5 m in length.
Drona maritimă care a fost descoperită în acestă dimineață, 5 iunie, în Portul Civil Constanța, în apropiere de sediul Agenției Române de Salvare a Vieții Omenești pe Mare, s-a autodetonat, în jurul orei 10.30, fără a produce victime. https://t.co/4yNX5KCMYb pic.twitter.com/bDIlHLCjqk
— MApN (@MApNRomania) June 5, 2026
În drum spre Muntenegru, am fost informat despre explozia unei drone marine în Portul Constanța.
Forțele de ordine și structurile de securitate au acționat prompt și au evacuat preventiv zona înainte de explozie, iar până în prezent nu sunt indicii că ar fi existat victime.… pic.twitter.com/XG1B3fAkXf— Nicușor Dan (@NicusorDanRO) June 5, 2026
🚨‼️Ewakuacja wybrzeża w miejscowości Konstanca w wyniku wprowadzenia Czerwonego Planu Interwencyjnego po eksplozji drona morskiego.
Prosimy o stosowanie się do zaleceń i wytycznych służb porządkowych i władz lokalnych.@PolakZaGranica pic.twitter.com/KaRRYjfCqr
— PLinRomania (@PLinRomania) June 5, 2026
Під час виконання завдань в Чорноморській операційній зоні один з морських безекіпажних катерів ВМС ЗС України під впливом засобів РЕБ противника втратив управління та опинився біля берегів Румунії.
Детальнішеhttps://t.co/JDKz4MrWi0 pic.twitter.com/Luc07OhK64
— Військово-Морські Сили ЗС України (@UA_NAVY) June 5, 2026
