Drones strike three civilian vessels near Romania
Illustrative photo: Drones attack three civilian vessels near Romania (RBC-Ukraine collage)
Drones attacked three commercial vessels off the coast of Sulina in the Danube Delta area, prompting the Romanian Air Force to scramble fighter jets twice, according to Romanian Foreign Ministry State Secretary Luca Niculescu.
The incident occurred on Saturday evening, November 14. According to Niculescu, Romanian Defense Ministry radars detected aerial targets near the Danube Delta.
"These incidents are unacceptable and constitute a violation of international law. They reflect the deteriorating security situation caused by Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine," he said.
Niculescu added that he was in constant contact with the relevant authorities and that the safety of the sailors was an absolute priority.
Romania will continue taking all necessary measures together with its allies to strengthen security in the Black Sea.
This issue remains a key priority for the government, which is working closely with regional partners and NATO.
Incidents involving civilian vessels in the Black Sea near the Romanian coast are not occurring for the first time.
In particular, on the evening of November 14, a drone attacked a vessel sailing to Ukraine under the flag of Palau in Romanian territorial waters near the settlement of Sfântu Gheorghe. Fortunately, no one was injured in the attack.
Earlier, on the morning of October 23, a tragedy occurred in the same area when a cargo ship with Ukrainians on board sank off the coast of Romania.
Preliminary reports suggest that the vessel was also hit by a drone. One person was killed in the incident, while several other crew members went missing.
