Romania Pushes for Self-Destruct Protocol for Ukrainian Naval Drones After Black Sea Incident

Romania wants Ukrainian naval drones to be programmed to automatically self-destruct if they come close to its territorial waters in the Black Sea, following a recent incident involving a stray unmanned vessel that detonated near its coast.

Defence Minister Radu Mîruță said in a televised interview on Thursday that he plans to raise the issue with Kyiv, arguing that Ukrainian drones operating in the Black Sea should include safeguards preventing them from entering Romanian waters in the event of lost control.

He suggested that drones should be programmed to self-destruct at around 12 nautical miles from the Romanian coast if contact is lost.

“If you happen to lose them in the Black Sea, when they approach Romanian territorial waters at a distance of 12 nautical miles, the controller operating the drone should program it for automatic self-destruction,” Mîruță said.

The proposal comes days after a Ukrainian naval drone exploded in Romania’s Black Sea port of Constanța on June 5, triggering a security response and an official investigation.

Kyiv later said the vessel had been knocked off course by Russian electronic warfare during a mission in the Black Sea, losing control before drifting toward Romanian waters.

The incident has added to security sensitivities in NATO member Romania, which borders Ukraine and shares a Black Sea coastline increasingly affected by the spillover of the war.

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