Romanian authorities say Ukraine lost control of four maritime drones

The Romanian government has confirmed media reports regarding four maritime drones in the Black Sea, one of which exploded in the port of Constanța.

The Romanian government press service says that on the morning of 5 June, following the detection of a maritime drone in the port of Constanța, Romania's Ministry of National Defence contacted its Ukrainian counterparts, who confirmed that they had lost control of four drones.

One of them exploded in the port of Constanța.

"The remaining three drones self-detonated – two at sea and the third outside the port. Confirmation of these events was received both from the Ukrainian side and from information obtained by the Romanian authorities," the statement said.

"The Romanian authorities have asked their Ukrainian counterparts to immediately inform the Romanian side about similar situations that may pose a risk to Romania," the government added.

Earlier, Romanian media reported explosions involving four drones in the Black Sea, while Adrian Picoiu, the prefect of Constanța County, stated that there could have been as many as five drones.

A spokesperson for Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Ukrainian Navy had warned Romanian partners in advance about a maritime attack drone over which control had been lost due to actions by Russian electronic warfare systems.