The unmanned naval vessel that ended up on Romania’s shores and exploded in the port of Constanta was ultimately Ukrainian, after it lost control due to interference from Russian electronic warfare systems, as the Ukrainian Navy acknowledged in a statement.

Specifically, it stated that during operations in the Black Sea, one of its unmanned naval vessels lost control due to the effects of Russian electronic warfare systems and drifted toward the Constanța area.

Watch in the following video the moment of the explosion, as captured by a ship camera in the port.

According to an official statement released by Ukrainian naval forces, Romanian authorities were immediately informed in order to take measures to protect civilians and prevent casualties.

“During the execution of a mission in the Black Sea operational zone, an unmanned naval vessel of the Ukrainian Navy lost control due to the impact of enemy electronic warfare systems and ended up on the Romanian coast. The Ukrainian Navy promptly provided the necessary information to the Romanian Navy to prevent civilian casualties,” the statement said.

Shortly afterward, an explosion occurred in the port of Constanța, where the vessel had been located. According to initial information from Romania’s Emergency Situations Service, there were no injuries or fatalities.

The spokesperson of the Romanian Navy, Alexandru Turturică, said the drone was detected on Friday morning near the premises of the Romanian Maritime Rescue Agency (ARSVOM), which is based inside the port of Constanța.

Meanwhile, according to reports, the drone that self-detonated was part of a group of five naval drones operating near the Romanian coast. There has been no official update regarding the fate of the other four unmanned naval vehicles.

Alert along the Romanian coastline, more than 1,100 people evacuated

More than 1,100 people were precautionarily evacuated from beaches along Romania’s Black Sea coast after the explosion of an unmanned naval vessel in the port of Constanța. Authorities blocked access to several coastal areas, while Russia entered the public discussion blaming Ukraine for the incident.

Romanian authorities implemented heightened security measures along the Black Sea coastline following the incident involving the unmanned vessel that exploded in the port of Constanța.

According to civil protection services, more than 1,100 people were evacuated from beaches in various tourist resorts, and access to coastal areas was blocked by municipal police.

Authorities said 300 people were evacuated from the Costinești beach, 50 from the Tuzla beach, 355 from the beaches of Eforie Nord and Eforie Sud, and around 400 from the areas of Mangalia, Saturn, Venus, and Cap Aurora.

“Access roads to the beaches have been blocked by the Municipal Police. The evacuations are being carried out as a precaution,” officials said.

Russia blamed Ukraine for the incident

At the same time, the Russian embassy in Romania issued a statement following the explosion in the port of Constanța, claiming that the sea drone belonged to Ukraine.

Russian diplomats accused Romania’s Ministry of Defence of presenting incomplete information about the incident and rejected any connection between Moscow and the event.