Romania Shoots Down Explosive Maritime Drone on Day of Russian Attack on Ukraine

As Russia launched a massive attack targeting Ukraine on the 20th (local time), an explosive-laden maritime drone was detected in Romanian territorial waters and shot down by the Romanian military.

According to AFP, the Romanian Ministry of Defense stated that it intercepted and destroyed the maritime drone at sea, located 80 nautical miles (approx. 150 km) east of the Black Sea coastal city of Constanta this morning.

Authorities explained that the drone was carrying explosives.

The Romanian military immediately scrambled two F-16 fighter jets to destroy the drone.

Romania suspects that this drone was one of the ones launched by Russia targeting Ukraine on this day.

Overnight, the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv and its surrounding areas came under Russian attack, leaving at least 15 people dead and over 33 injured.

Romanian President Nicusor Daniel wrote on social media, "We strongly condemn Russia's escalation of irresponsible incidents."

Sharing a 614-kilometer border with Ukraine, Romania has repeatedly experienced Russian drones violating its airspace since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Earlier this year, during a Russian attack on Ukraine, a drone crashed into an apartment building in Galati, eastern Romania, injuring two people.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.