Romanian F-16s destroy explosive sea drone near Neptun Deep gas platform in Black Sea

NATO F-16s Blow Up Sea Drone That Threatened Romania's Largest Deep Gas Platform A wild and highly dangerous intercept incident happened in the Black Sea on Thursday. A pair of Romanian F-16s were dispatched to track and intercept a sea drone in the vicinity the huge Neptun Deep gas platform. The platform sits 80 miles east of the Romanian Black Sea city of Constanta and is the country's largest natural gas project and its first deep offshore project, with hundreds of people working at the site at any given time. Omv Petrom The Wall Street Journal reports that "Romania said it deployed two F-16 jet fighters to destroy a Russia-launched explosive marine drone that threatened hundreds of lives near one of its gas platforms." Authorities said the sea drone was observed coming to within just a few hundred meters away from the platform, and thus the decision was made that it must be neutralized. Citing Romanian Defense Minister Radu Miruta, WSJ writes further, "The decision was taken, in consultation with NATO, to destroy the drone in order to protect the lives of the several hundred people who were working on the platform and to secure the infrastructure, Miruta said in a Facebook post." President Nicușor Dan blamed Russia, after Ukraine said the drone wasn't theirs, and formally accused Moscow of endangering "critical infrastructure" and people "working at the platform." "I strongly condemn the intensification of these types of irresponsible incidents on the part of the Russian Federation. We remain vigilant alongside NATO allies to defend ourselves and repel such challenges," he wrote on X. The Kremlin hasn't immediately responded, and is unlikely to own up to it. However, it has recently vowed to punish Ukraine and its Western backers for the ramped-up long-range drone campaign which has unleashed havoc on its own oil refining and energy infrastructure. Moscow says that Western allies have been helping Ukrainian forces with targeting intelligence. A Romanian F-16 destroyed a naval drone inside Romania's Black Sea EEZ on Thursday as it approached the Neptun Alpha gas platform, 80 nautical miles east of Constanța. pic.twitter.com/W9f2NVaxGX — Open Source Intel (@Osint613) August 20, 2026 There have been widely reported petrol shortages across Russia of late, even impacting the capital and surrounding regions, due to the non-stop drone waves. European Commission President Von der Leyen commented on the new Black Sea incident in support of Romania and NATO. "An escalating campaign of threats is underway, unsettling our citizens and seeking to divide our Union," she wrote on X. "With the European Drone Defence Initiative and the Eastern Flank Watch, we are scaling up production in Europe ... So we can respond to emerging threats with speed, unity and resolve," she added. Video: Defense Minister Radu Miruta... showing the moment that the unidentified sea drone was obliterated... 🚨 BREAKING: A Romanian F-16 fired on an explosive-laden Russian sea drone near the Neptun Deep gas field in the Black Sea. Top officials called it part of a growing Russian threat against the site, set to make Romania the EU's top gas producer by 2027. Video: Defense Minister… pic.twitter.com/WxzWU5vGv7 — UNITED24 Media (@United24media) August 20, 2026 Aerial incidents involving Russian projectiles along the EU and NATO's 'eastern flank' have become somewhat of a regular occurrence; however, the spectacle of a NATO member's jets being scrambled to track and blow up a sea drone off coastal waters is something new. It was perhaps a bright flashing 'warning' from Russian forces, showing that they can harm vital EU energy infrastructure in return if they want to. Tyler Durden Thu, 08/20/2026 - 17:21

A picture of the drone uploaded by Romania’s defence minister (Picture: Radu Miruţă) A marine drone packed with explosives was destroyed by fighter jets in the Black Sea a few hundred metres from an under-construction gas project. Two Romanian F-16 planes were sent to respond after the drone was spotted by a commercial ship in the vicinity of the Neptun Deep platform at around 6.30am local time (4.20am UK time). The platform is part of a project that is set to make Romania the biggest gas producer in the European Union when it comes online next year. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on X: ‘An escalating campaign of threats is underway, unsettling our citizens and seeking to divide our Union.’ Nicușor Dan, Romania’s president, congratulated the jet pilots and coast guard for their response and blamed Russia. In posts to his social media, he wrote: ‘I strongly condemn the intensification of these types of irresponsible incidents on the part of the Russian Federation. Sign up for all of the latest stories Start your day informed with Metro's News Updates newsletter or get Breaking News alerts the moment it happens. ‘We remain vigilant alongside NATO allies to defend ourselves and repel such challenges.’ Romanian defence minister Radu Miruţă said he had received confirmation from the Ukrainians that the drone did not originate with them. He said: ‘In order to protect the lives of the several hundred people who were working on the platform and to secure the critical infrastructure, the decision to destroy the drone was made.’ European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called in the incident ‘hybrid warfare’ (Picture: Reuters) It comes just four days after a pair of Spanish fighter jets were deployed to shoot down a drone that entered Romanian airspace on Sunday. According to news agency Reuters, it was the fourth unmanned aircraft to be shot down in Romania – a member of Nato – since the start of this year. The country shares a 382-mile land border with Ukraine, and its proximity has meant it is occasionally impacted directly. In May, a drone from Russia hit a block of flats in the eastern town of Galați, which is close to the border with Ukraine. Two people were injured in the incident, which also started a fire in the building, prompting an evacuation. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. For more stories like this, check our news page. Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source