Romania wants Ukrainian naval drones to self-detonate when nearing its territorial waters
on Google
Romania's Defense Minister Radu Miruta proposed asking Ukraine to program its drones to self-destruct if they go out of control and head toward Romanian territorial waters, Romanian media reported on June 11.
The comments come after a stray Ukrainian naval drone exploded in the Romanian Black Sea Port of Constanta on June 5, without causing casualties. Kyiv said the vessel drifted to the Romanian coast after being hit by electronic interference.
To prevent such incidents, Miruta said that Ukrainian naval drones should be programmed to detonate 12 nautical miles (22 kilometers) away from Romania's territorial waters.
Ukraine regularly deploys its Magura and Sea Baby drones to strike Russian military and other strategic targets in Black Sea, with some being lost or diverted as a result of Russian jamming.
"I want to propose to our neighbors in Ukraine, who are fighting such a brutal war launched by Russia, that they guarantee all drones they launch into the Black Sea are programmed with this technical safeguard," Miruta said in a television interview.
The minister noted that an investigation of the incident in Constanta is underway. Bucharest has sent a set of questions to Kyiv to help clarify the circumstances, including when the control of the drone was lost and what kind of explosives it was carrying, he added.
The incident follows earlier cases of Ukrainian aerial and naval drones straying into the territory of NATO member states, including Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Greece, during attacks against Russia.
Some of the cases have prompted rebukes from European partners. Kyiv has issued an apology over the incidents, while naming Russia's aggression against Ukraine as the primary cause.
Russian drones have also repeatedly crashed on the territory of NATO countries during strikes against Ukraine. According to Bucharest, a stray Russian Shahed-type aerial drone struck a residential building in the Romanian city of Galati on May 29, injuring two people.
