Romania's military scrambled fighter jets this week to thwart a suspected Russian drone boat near an offshore gas platform in the Black Sea, averting what could have been a dangerous situation for workers and infrastructure.

On August 20, Romanian Coast Guard spotted a maritime drone several hundred meters from the Neptun Deep project’s main drilling platform. Defense Minister Radu Miruță confirmed that Romania's president blamed Russia directly for the incident, citing it as one of many irresponsible acts by the Russian Federation.

In another instance this month, two Russian drones were destroyed near the same site on August 11. Both incidents involved unknown drone types not previously seen in Russian deployments, according to naval expert H.I. Sutton from Covert Shores. Romania maintains close cooperation with Ukrainian partners to ensure these craft do not belong to their military.

The Romanian F-16 fighter jets used their cannons to disable the drone boat, allowing explosive ordnance experts to safely detonate it. The project, set to start full production in 2027, aims to make Romania the largest gas producer in the European Union.

These events underscore the ongoing security challenges for offshore operations and highlight the evolving nature of military threats in the region.