Romania accused Russia of sending an explosive-laden drone boat toward the Neptun Deep offshore gas platform in the Black Sea. On August 20, the Romanian Coast Guard detected the maritime drone near the platform, prompting the military to scramble two F-16 fighter jets. A Romanian F-16 disabled the drone with cannon fire, allowing explosive ordnance experts to carry out a controlled detonation, as shown in a video shared by Defense Minister Radu Miruță.

The Neptun Deep project aims to make Romania the EU's largest gas producer once full production begins in 2027. President Nicușor Dan condemned the incident, blaming Russia and vowing continued vigilance with NATO allies. This is the second suspected Russian drone incident near the site this month; on August 11, Romania destroyed two Russian-made flying drones found floating nearby.

Both cases were confirmed with Ukrainian partners as not belonging to Ukraine’s military. Naval expert H. I.

Sutton noted the drone boat is a previously unseen type, distinct from known Russian surface drones.