Ukraine responded to Romania's inquiries regarding the incident in the Port of Constanța on June 5th: "The lack of communications with the drones made it impossible to cancel the self-detonation order."

Ukraine responded to Romania's inquiries regarding the incident in the Port of Constanta on June 5, the Ministry of Defense announced on Friday. Ukraine specified that it lost communications with four naval drones (USV) Sargan-3000 that were heading towards the eastern area of the Black Sea. From that moment, Ukrainian forces had no control over the trajectories of the four drones and were unable to restore communication.

"The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine responded to the 14 questions addressed by Minister Radu Miruță regarding the incident that occurred on June 5, 2026, in the Port of Constanta.

The Ukrainian side confirmed that, in the afternoon of June 4, 2026, near Sevastopol, at a distance of approximately 250 km from the Romanian shore, they lost communications with four naval drones (USV) Sargan-3000 that were heading towards the eastern area of the Black Sea. From that moment, Ukrainian forces had no control over the trajectories of the four drones and were unable to restore communication.

On the morning of June 5, at 9:54 AM, the Ukrainian Naval Forces informed the Romanian Naval Forces about the danger posed by the USVs in the event of self-detonation and communicated the scheduled time for the self-detonation of the four drones. The lack of communication with the drones made it impossible to cancel the self-detonation command.

According to the Ukrainian side, this incident is an isolated one, most likely caused by the electronic warfare actions of the Russian Federation.

As a result of this incident, the Ministry of National Defense requested the Ukrainian side to open a permanent technical communication channel between the Ukrainian Naval Forces and the Romanian Naval Forces, and operational procedures were established through which the parties inform each other, in a timely manner, about the risks in the Black Sea.

Additionally, the Minister of National Defense officially requested the Ukrainian side that all naval drones launched in the Black Sea be programmed to self-detonate in a safe area, outside of Romania's areas of interest, should they reach there for any reason.

The Ministry of National Defense thanked for the information provided and requested further clarifications, reiterating its willingness for closer collaboration.

On the morning of June 5, at 06:20 AM, the Maritime Coordination Center of the Romanian Naval Authority informed the Naval Component Command – CCN about the presence of a floating object near Dana 78 in the Port of Constanta. CCN informed the Coast Guard and SRI and alerted the 39th Divers Center for the preparation of EOD (explosive ordnance disposal) teams.

At 09:54 AM, the Ukrainian authorities informed the Romanian side that they had lost control over four maritime drones in the Black Sea and that they were about to enter the self-detonation sequence. Immediately after receiving the information, the Naval Forces warned the intervention teams at Dana 78, and personnel in the area were evacuated.

At 10:27 AM, the drone at Dana 78 exploded. No casualties were reported.

In continuation of the intervention, the head of the Naval Forces ordered an aerial survey at sea with a Puma Naval helicopter. At the same time, the Maritime Hydrographic Directorate issued a notice to mariners regarding the existence of dangerous objects in the area. NATO Maritime Command (MARCOM) was informed about the situation.

Around 11:00 AM, the Border Police reported that a Coast Guard vessel observed a strong explosion (of the second drone) outside the Port of Constanta.

Around 1:00 PM, the Coast Guard received information from commercial vessels at sea that two more strong explosions (drones three and four) were observed off the Black Sea.

At 2:35 PM, it was decided to cease intervention operations, following the corroboration of data transmitted by the Ukrainian side and those reported from the field, with the four drones confirmed destroyed.

The Romanian Naval Forces took additional measures to protect military port infrastructure.

At the inter-institutional level, the Ministry of National Defense participates, alongside the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Transport, and the Port Administration of Constanta, in the process of clarifying the legislative framework and responsibilities regarding military and civil port security," the Ministry of Defense announced in a press release on Friday.