Romanian President Nikusor Dan said after a meeting with representatives of defense and security institutions in the city of Constanta that the authorities had followed all intervention procedures after an out-of-control Ukrainian naval drone was discovered in the Black Sea port yesterday morning, which subsequently exploded, reports Digi 24 TV, quoted by BTA.
He explained that the first teams of specialists arrived at the scene less than an hour after the signal was received, and the decision for a complete evacuation was made after receiving information that it would self-destruct. The head of state emphasized that Ukraine is the attacked country in the war with Russia and is defending itself as best it can, and added that the investigation will show in 7-10 days how the group of drones reached the port area.
"We had a Ukrainian drone - part of a group of four drones, control over which was lost. They were loaded with explosives. Ukraine is the attacked country. For any events that arise, Russia is open, because it is the aggressor country, and Ukraine is defending itself," the head of state emphasized at a press conference, quoted by the Hotnews website.
When asked why, after the first information about the drone was at 06:10 in the morning, the intervention of the authorities did not begin until around 10 a.m., he explained that immediately after the alarm was announced, activities began according to the protocols. At 10:00, information was received that the drone would self-detonate at 10:26, and within a few minutes the entire perimeter was evacuated, the president explained.
Nikushor Dan denied allegations that the Ukrainian drones were intended to attack a vessel from the Russian "shadow fleet", through which Russia circumvents sanctions against oil exports.
"There was speculation that the four drones were chasing a vessel from the shadow fleet of Russia, which was coming to unload oil at (the company) Rompetrol. It is not a ship from the shadow fleet, it is a vessel that has repeatedly passed these trade routes between Novorossiysk and Rompetrol. It is not included in the sanctions list by the EU or the US," the head of state pointed out.
He added that the investigation into what exactly happened and how the drones reached the port is expected to be completed within 7-10 days and provide answers to the questions.
When asked how prepared Romania is for such events, the president pointed out that "this is a new technology that was developed in the context of this war." "We are in a situation similar to that with aerial drones, and we are adapting to this technology. Romania has an equipment program underway. In the naval aspect, equipment will arrive in Romania next month," he added.
The head of state said that just a few weeks ago, the Romanian naval forces participated in a NATO exercise specifically for this type of challenge. He also reminded that Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey are participating in a joint mine clearance group in the Black Sea. The president also indicated that, at Romania's request, there will be a session dedicated to the Black Sea at the upcoming NATO summit in June.
When asked if he had spoken to his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky after yesterday's incident, he replied: "No, but I will. Part of the conversations we had today (at the meeting in Constanta) were about the elements of a protocol (with Ukraine) that would work in similar situations," Digi 24 points out.
The head of state said that citizens are also interested in how safe it is to go on vacation to the Black Sea. In this context, he noted that "on the one hand, we will have a discussion in NATO and we expect additional equipment, and on the other hand, the Border Police will increase the teams that carry out missions to investigate and identify possible threats".
"Thirdly, there is a constant dialogue with Ukraine and a form of protocol has already been envisaged, which also covers events of this kind (...) We have a war that, unfortunately, has been going on for four years, and as a secondary effect of this war, we have mines and sea drones that have entered territorial waters, reached the coast and there have been no casualties, because with the equipment that the authorities have, they have acted accordingly,", the president emphasized.
A Ukrainian naval drone exploded near an oil terminal in the port of Constanta yesterday, causing no injuries. Kiev said the drone had gone out of control due to Russian electronic warfare and had drifted towards the Romanian coast. Romanian Defense Minister Radu Miruca said Romanian authorities had managed to evacuate people at risk in the port of Constanta before the explosion, thanks to a warning received from the Ukrainian side.