Ukrainian uncrewed vessel explodes in Romania's Constanța port

Romanian authorities secured the area around Berth 78 in the Port of Constanța, then watched a naval drone self-detonate at about 10:30 a.m. after it had been spotted there at 06:20 on June 5. The explosion happened near the civilian port and an oil terminal, turning Romania’s largest Black Sea logistics hub into the latest site where Russia’s war in Ukraine spilled across a NATO border.

The Ministry of National Defence said the drone was of the type used in the war in Ukraine and was not part of Romania’s military inventory. The device had become stranded in a pollution-control barrier a few hundred meters from the oil terminal before it exploded, according to Romanian reporting and official briefings. Authorities said there were no casualties.

The Romanian Intelligence Service, the Coast Guard and the Ministry of National Defence isolated the area before the blast, while helicopters searched for additional devices and coastal residents and tourists were kept away from the shoreline. More than 1,000 people were evacuated as a precaution, underscoring how quickly a single maritime incident can force a large-scale emergency response in a dense port environment where cargo handling, fuel infrastructure and ship movements overlap.

The Ukrainian Navy said one of its uncrewed surface vessels lost control because of enemy electronic warfare and drifted toward Romania. Romanian officials said information from Ukrainian counterparts had helped reduce the risk to civilians. President Nicușor Dan called the episode a direct consequence of Russia’s war against Ukraine, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described it as a direct consequence of the war and a threat to countries on the European Union’s eastern border.

The Constanța blast landed just days after a Russian drone strike in Galați injured two people on May 29, 2026, reinforcing concerns that the war’s maritime and aerial risks are moving closer to alliance territory. Romanian sources said multiple drones may have been involved in the Black Sea that day, with one detonating in the port, another near the port and others offshore or on the Ukrainian side. In a region where commercial shipping depends on steady access and predictable security, the explosion in Constanța signaled that the Black Sea’s danger zone is no longer confined to the front line.