Romania wants new rule for Ukrainian sea drones after Black Sea incident
Photo: Sea Baby naval drone (ssu.gov.ua)
Romania wants Ukrainian naval drones to automatically self-destruct when approaching its territorial waters in the Black Sea, Romanian Defense Minister Radu Miruță said, according to Defense Romania.
According to Miruță, Ukrainian naval drones should be programmed so that, in the event of a loss of communication or control, they cannot enter Romanian territorial waters.
The minister suggested implementing a special algorithm that would trigger a drone's self-destruction as it nears Romania's maritime border.
"If you suddenly lose them in the Black Sea, when they come within 12 nautical miles of Romania's territorial waters, the operator controlling that drone should have programmed it to automatically self-destruct," Miruță said.
He added that he intends to propose this mechanism to the Ukrainian side for all naval drones launched in the Black Sea.
"Our neighbors in Ukraine, who are in such a fierce war caused by Russia, should guarantee that all drones they launch into the Black Sea are programmed with this technical iteration," the Romanian defense minister stated.
Drone explosion in Romanian port
On June 5, a Ukrainian unmanned surface vehicle exploded after drifting to a pier in the port of Constanța. No casualties or injuries were reported.
The Ukrainian Navy confirmed that the drone was Ukrainian but had lost control due to Russian electronic warfare measures and subsequently drifted toward the Romanian coast.
Media reports also stated that four additional explosive-laden boats were discovered in the coastal area near the Port of Constanța.
