The Minister of Defense announced that he will request air patrols and anti-drone equipment in Brussels following the attacks on ships in the Black Sea

Minister of National Defence Ștefan-Radu Oprea will discuss the situation in the Black Sea in Brussels, at the meeting of allied defence ministers, after drones struck commercial vessels near the mouths of the Danube. Romania is requesting allied solidarity through the deployment of surveillance aircraft and the provision of equipment for counter-drone operations.

According to the minister, three vessels in the area were struck during drone attacks launched against Ukraine. No casualties were reported, and the fires that broke out on board were brought under control by the crews. Oprea mentioned the vessels Evia Petrol V, Marsol and Ali Najafov.

The Ministry of National Defence initially confirmed that two vessels had been struck on Saturday night into Sunday, near the Sulina Canal. The Greek-flagged tanker Evia Petrol V was attacked at around 21:10, while the bulk carrier Marsol was attacked approximately 35 minutes later. Both fires were extinguished without casualties.

The incidents occurred during the first extreme RO-ALERT warning sent to the population of Tulcea County. F-16 aircraft carried out missions, while the Romanian Coast Guard and other Romanian institutions maintained contact with the crews.

Oprea also announced that he had discussed with representatives of Thales the faster delivery of Gap Filler radars. Equipment, training, information sharing and cooperation are, according to the minister, the priorities of the Ministry of National Defence.