Romania destroys two "Gerbera" drones near the Neptun Deep gas project

On August 11, the Romanian military destroyed two Gerbera-type drones found in the Black Sea near the Neptun Deep gas project. The drones were drifting in Romania’s exclusive economic zone, said acting Defense Minister Radu Miruță.

According to the Romanian Ministry of Defense, the drones were spotted at around 08:00 by the crew of a civilian vessel conducting operations in the Neptun Deep area. They were approximately 90 nautical miles, or about 167 km, from Constanța.

A Coast Guard ship with a team of explosive ordnance disposal specialists from the Naval Forces was dispatched to the scene. The military recovered two Gerbera model unmanned aerial vehicles, which might have been carrying explosives, as well as a separate wing from yet another drone.

Both devices were destroyed by controlled detonation. A fragment of the third drone posed no pyrotechnic danger, so it was brought on board for further examination. The Ministry of Defense stated that the operation was executed safely.

The Romanian side also contacted the Ukrainian military. They confirmed that the discovered devices do not belong to the Ukrainian Defense Forces. However, the Romanian Ministry of Defense has not yet officially established the origin of the destroyed drones.

The decision to detonate was made to eliminate the threat to shipping and operations near Neptun Deep. This is one of Romania’s largest energy projects in the Black Sea, designed for offshore natural gas extraction.

Gerbera-type drones are widely used by Russian forces during attacks on Ukraine. These devices can serve as decoys, be used for reconnaissance, and certain modifications are capable of carrying a warhead.

Sourced from: Radu Miruță, AGERPRES