(AFP Photo)
A Romanian F-16 fighter jet on Aug. 20 destroyed a marine drone near an offshore gas project, with Romania's president blaming Russia for the latest incident involving the NATO member bordering Ukraine.
Unauthorized drone activity has become increasingly frequent in recent months across eastern European countries as Ukraine fights off a Russian invasion launched in 2022, with both countries increasingly relying on drone warfare.
In the latest incident, the drone that was destroyed was "loaded with explosives" and did not originate from Ukraine, Defense Minister Radu Miruta said on Facebook.
"I strongly condemn the escalation of such irresponsible incidents on the part of the Russian Federation," Romanian President Nicusor Dan said on X.
The drone was spotted at 6:28 am local time (0328 GMT) by a commercial vessel, hundreds of meters from the offshore gas project Neptun Deep and 80 nautical miles east of the Black Sea city of Constanta, according to a press release from the defense ministry.
Two Romanian F-16 aircraft were deployed to respond, and one of them destroyed it.
Hundreds of people are currently working at Neptun Deep, according to the government. Neptun Deep is due to start production in 2027.
NATO has shot down four aerial drones in Romania recently, with the latest incident happening during last weekend.
The eastern European country also reported an aerial drone crash on Aug. 20 following Russian strikes on Ukraine.
It fell in an unpopulated area four kilometers (2.5 miles) northeast of the village of Grindu in eastern Romania, close to the border.
No casualties were reported.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Aug. 20 urged a global response to Moscow's "escalation" of the four-year war after Russian bombardments killed at least 16 people in Kiev and surrounding areas overnight.
