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Russian drones blown up near Romanian gas project

Ars Technica •
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Romanian army divers used explosives to destroy two Russian-made drones found floating in the Black Sea near Romania’s largest natural gas project, according to the NATO member country’s defense minister. Defense Minister Radu Miruță posted a Facebook video showing one of the drones being blown up by explosive ordnance disposal divers on August 11. The drones were first spotted by a ship working near Neptun Deep—an offshore gas project that will make Romania the largest gas producer in the European Union.

A Romanian Coast Guard ship found two drifting Gerbera-type drones of Russian design along with other debris. Miruță disclosed that Romania reached out to “Ukrainian partners who confirmed that the systems do not belong to them.” The ongoing war in Ukraine has led to multiple incidents where drones strayed across European borders.

Dozens of Russian drone incursions into Romanian airspace have caused damage and forced costly fighter jet interceptions. On May 29, a Russian Geran-2 drone struck an apartment building in southeastern Romania, injuring a child and a woman, forcing 70 people to evacuate. Another previous strike damaged a workshop and an electricity pole, forcing over 500 people to evacuate.