Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on October 5 accused Russia of using drones to strike and sink a grain ship in the Romanian waters of the Black Sea. According to Romanian authorities, the incident killed two people and left 11 rescued as the vessel caught fire.
Speaking on social media, Zelenskyy said: "A terrible attack by two Russian drones targeted a civilian ship in neutral waters carrying corn and owned by Turkey." The claim came after Romania reported the fire and sinking of the ship in its waters, fueling concerns the war in Ukraine could spread to NATO's eastern flank.
According to Romania's Interior Ministry, coast guard forces received a warning at about 11:00 a.m. local time (08:00 GMT) that a ship was on fire in the country's "exclusive economic zone." The ministry did not identify the cause of the fire. Reports said Azerbaijani and Indian citizens were aboard the vessel at the time.
Images released by Romania's Interior Ministry showed the ship "Royad Mammadov" damaged by fire in the Black Sea, outside Romania's territorial waters. Authorities launched rescue operations after the incident.
Romania is one of several NATO member states to have reported incursions this year, as Russia and Ukraine increasingly deploy large numbers of drones and missiles. In May, a Russian drone was reported to have crashed into a residential building. In June, a Ukrainian sea drone that went astray exploded at the Black Sea port of Constanta. In July, Bucharest summoned the Russian ambassador after air defenses intercepted three drones within a week.
Russian drone incursions into Eastern European airspace are seen by some as a test of NATO and European Union defense and response capabilities. Baltic states have also recorded drones entering their airspace throughout the war. In late May, a dispute over how to respond to the incursions helped bring down Latvia's government.
The incursions have also prompted Poland to bolster its air defenses after it accused Moscow of violating its airspace in September. In Moldova, suspected drones have been shot down twice.
Romania's Defense Ministry said its navy has destroyed nine drifting mines in the Black Sea since the war began.
