President Dan congratulates Romanian Army for successful mission to destroy maritime drone
President Nicusor Dan on Thursday congratulated the Romanian Army and the pilots of the two F-16 fighter jets for the successful mission to destroy a maritime drone found near the Neptun Deep platform in the Black Sea.
'I also congratulate the Coast Guard for the promptness with which it reported the presence of the drone in the area. It was a race against time, in which the number one priority was protecting the lives of the people working on the platform and keeping critical infrastructure out of any potential danger. I strongly condemn the intensification of these irresponsible types of incidents by the Russian Federation. We remain vigilant alongside our NATO allies to defend ourselves and repel such challenges,' the head of state wrote on X.
National Defence Minister Radu Miruta announced on Thursday that a maritime drone carrying explosives had been destroyed by the Romanian Army using the onboard cannon of an F-16 aircraft in the area of the Neptun Deep platform in the Black Sea.
'Earlier this morning (Thursday - ed. n.), we were informed by the Coast Guard of the presence of a maritime drone a few hundred metres from the works being carried out for gas extraction at the Neptun Deep platform, in the exclusive economic zone, 80 miles east of Constanta. A command cell was established at the Ministry of National Defence, which requested NATO-level command to be transferred to the Romanian Army. Following the analyses carried out and in coordination with the President of Romania, a decision was taken to destroy the drone in order to protect the lives of the several hundred people working on the platform and secure critical infrastructure. For the sake of speed, two Romanian F-16 fighter jets were scrambled with orders to fire. The drone was safely destroyed. It was carrying explosives,' Miruta wrote on Facebook.
He added that, through the direct communication channel recently established with the Ukrainian side, he had received official confirmation that the drone 'was not of Ukrainian origin.'
The Ministry of National Defence said in a press release sent to AGERPRES that two F-16 aircraft belonging to the Romanian Air Force intervened on Thursday in response to a small maritime drone located in Romania's exclusive economic zone, near the Neptun Alpha platform, approximately 80 nautical miles east of Constanta. One of the aircraft engaged the target and fired its onboard cannon at it, hitting the drone.
The presence of the drifting maritime drone was reported by a commercial vessel at around 06:28, the Ministry of National Defence said.
A Coast Guard vessel carrying an EOD team from the Romanian Naval Forces is heading to the area to carry out checks. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Oana Ghita; EN - writing by: Adina Panaitescu)
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