Rumänien: (Russische) Drohnen ohne Ende im NATO-Mitgliedsland

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Bereits im Juli musste Rumänien merfach Drohnen abwehren, die – bestätigt oder vermutet – aus Russland in den Luftraum des NATO-Landes eingedrungen waren. Inzwischen nimmt die Zahl dieser Vorfälle erneut zu, aktuell auch mit unbemannten schwimmenden Systemen im Schwarzen Meer.

Der jüngste Vorfall ereignete sich am (heutigen) Donnerstag, wie das Verteidigungsministerium in Bukarest mitteilte:

On Thursday, August 20, two Romanian Air Force F-16 aircraft scrambled towards the location where a small maritime drone was spotted in Romania’s Exclusive Economic Zone, near the Neptun Alpha platform, approximately 80 nautical miles east of Constanța. One of the aircraft engaged the target and fired its onboard cannon at it, successfully hitting the target.
The presence of the drifting maritime drone was reported by a commercial vessel around 06:28.
A Coast Guard vessel, carrying a Romanian Naval Forces EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team onboard, is proceeding to the drone’s location to conduct inspections.
Update:
Analysis of data downloaded from the F-16 aircraft tracking systems, corroborated with the information obtained by the crew of the vessel that arrived on the scene, confirmed that a single drone was involved.
The drone was struck by the onboard cannon of an F-16 aircraft but was not completely destroyed. Subsequently, the EOD personnel aboard the vessel safely neutralized the drone.
Verification of facts confirmed that it carried an explosive charge.

Rumäniens Präsident Nicușor Dan dankte im Kurznachrichtendienst X den Streitkräften und machte Russland für den Vorfall verantwortlich:

Ich gratuliere der rumänischen Armee und den Piloten der beiden rumänischen F-16-Kampfflugzeuge zum Erfolg des Einsatzes zur Zerstörung der Meeresdrohne in der Nähe der Plattform „Neptun Deep“ im Schwarzen Meer. Ich gratuliere auch der Küstenwache für die Schnelligkeit, mit der sie die Anwesenheit der Drohne in diesem Gebiet gemeldet hat.
Ein Wettlauf gegen die Zeit, bei dem der Schutz des Lebens der auf der Plattform arbeitenden Menschen und die Sicherung der kritischen Infrastruktur vor jeglicher potenziellen Gefahr oberste Priorität hatten.
Ich verurteile aufs Schärfste die Zunahme solcher unverantwortlichen Vorfälle seitens der Russischen Föderation. Wir bleiben gemeinsam mit unseren NATO-Verbündeten wachsam, um uns zu verteidigen und solche Provokationen abzuwehren.
(übersetzt mit deepl.com)

Der Fundort der schwimmenden Drohne liegt zwar weit außerhalb der rumänischen Hoheitsgewässer (s. Karte oben) – aber in der auschließlichen Wirtschaftszone Rumäniens und vor allem nahe an einer wirtschaftlich wichtigen Gasförderplattform, also an kritischer Infrastruktur.

Im August hatte es schon etliche weitere Drohnenvorfälle gegeben; die Auflistung des Verteidigungsministeriums – nur für diesen Monat bisher:

20. August:
On the night of Wednesday to Thursday, 20 August, at 02:23, the military radar system detected a group of aerial targets in the vicinity of the border with Ukraine, north of Tulcea county.
Two F-18 aircraft of the Spanish Air and Space Force were scrambled to monitor the situation. In addition, an IAR-330 SOCAT helicopter of the Romanian Air Force took off on an aerial reconnaissance mission.
The National Military Command Centre (core) notified the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations regarding the activation of public alert measures in the affected area. A public alert message was issued at 03:20.
At 03:21, a drone entered Romanian national airspace, approximately 13 kilometres east of the city of Galați.
At 03:24, the crew of the IAR-330 SOCAT helicopter reported that the target had crashed approximately 4 kilometres north-east of Grindu, Tulcea County, in an uninhabited area. The impact of the unmanned aerial vehicle with the ground was followed by a fire, which extinguished itself. No casualties or material damage were reported.
A military search party is heading to the impact site to secure the area.
The air alert ended at 03:52.
Update:
Regarding the incident that occurred on the night of Wednesday to Thursday, August 20th – when a drone breached the national airspace and crashed near the village of Grindu, Tulcea County – specialized teams of the Ministry of National Defence and the Border Police inspected and secured the area.
On-site inspections determined that the fragments posed no explosive hazard.
The drone debris was collected by the Border Police for further investigation.
The case has been taken over by the Prosecutor’s Office attached to the Constanța Court of Appeal.

17. August (schon da in der Nähe der Plattform im Schwarzen Meer):
An EOD team of the Romanian Naval Forces recovered a drone wing on Sunday, August 16, during a search mission conducted in the vicinity of the Neptun Alpha platform.
The EOD team travelled to the area aboard a Coast Guard vessel.
The floating object had been spotted on Saturday, August 15, by a commercial vessel near the Neptun Alpha platform, approximately 83 nautical miles east of Constanța.
Search operations in the area are ongoing.

17. August:
During the night of August 15 – 16, at 04:44, the surveillance systems of the Ministry of National Defence’s detected an aerial target entering the national airspace from the direction of the Republic of Moldova, approximately 24 km north of Galați.
An F-18 aircraft of the Spanish Air and Space Force – performing Combat Air Policing duties at the 57th „Mihail Kogălniceanu“ Air Base and conducting a monitoring mission – established radar contact with the target and received authorization to engage. The drone was safely shot down by the F-18 aircraft at 05:01.
A possible impact site for the drone debris has been identified between the localities of Băleni and Cudalbi, in Galați County, in an uninhabited area.
The air raid alert for Galați County ceased at 05:20.
The Ministry of National Defence continuously monitors the situation and provides real-time updates to Allied structures regarding such events.
Update: 
The aerial and ground reconnaissance mission conducted by joint teams from the Ministry of National Defence and the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the impact area between the localities of Băleni and Cudalbi, Galați County, concluded on Sunday, August 16, around 16:20.
Following the investigation, fragments of the interceptor missile – which were safely neutralized by the EOD team – as well as fragments of the drone shot down this morning, were discovered and collected by forensic specialists.

14. August:
On Friday, August 14, the Ministry of National Defence was notified – via a call to the 112 Emergency Service – of a drone that had fallen near Luncavița Commune, Tulcea County, five kilometers from the border with Ukraine.
Based on currently available data, the aerial target was not detected by the Ministry’s radar surveillance systems, as it was flying at a very low altitude.
The drone crashed in a wooded area. Preliminary information indicates there were no casualties or material damage.
A Ministry of National Defence team will survey the area with an IAR PUMA 330 SOCAT helicopter.

13. August:
The radar surveillance system of the Romanian Ministry of National Defence detected, on the night of August 12 to 13, at 01:27, a group of five aerial targets in the Ismail area, over the Ukrainian territory, near the river border with Romania.
The National Military Command Center notified the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations regarding the implementation of alert measures for the population in northern Tulcea County, and a RO-Alert message was issued at 01:30.
Two Romanian Air Force F-16 aircraft, from the 86th Air Base Borcea, were scrambled to monitor the situation.
Ground radars detected an aerial target penetrating the national airspace, approximately 2 km south of Pardina. The target remained in the national airspace for about 10 minutes, moving along the Chilia branch, before leaving the Romanian territory towards Ukraine, approximately 13 km southwest of Chilia Veche.
Shortly after flying over the Romanian airspace, explosions were reported on the Ukrainian territory.
The air alert issued for northern Tulcea County ceased at 02:42.

13. August:
On Thursday, August 13th, around 08:30, the Ministry of National Defence was notified of the presence of an aerial drone fragment in the area of „Terasa Tineretului“, ​​Costinești, Constanța County, approximately 15 meters from the breakwater blocks.
Around 10:40, the Coast Guard requested support from the Romanian Naval Forces to deploy a combat EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) diver team.
Following an inspection, the EOD team determined that the fragment posed no explosive hazard. It was handed over to the Coast Guard.

12. August:
Two unmanned aerial systems drifting in the Black Sea were destroyed during a controlled operation on Tuesday, August 11th, by Romanian Naval Forces EOD divers.
The systems were spotted around 08:00 in Romania’s Exclusive Economic Zone – approximately 90 nautical miles off the coast of Constanța, near the Neptun Deep perimeter – by the crew of a civilian vessel conducting operations in the area.
A Coast Guard vessel, with a specialized Naval Forces EOD team onboard, deployed to the indicated location.
During the mission, two „Gerbera“ unmanned aerial systems (UAVs) – possibly carrying explosive payloads – were identified, along with a drone wing. The two UAVs were neutralized via controlled detonation by the EOD divers, while the drone fragment, which posed no explosive risk, was recovered.
The operation was conducted safely.
The Naval Component Command contacted the Ukrainian side, which confirmed that the devices did not belong to the Ukrainian forces.

(Grafik: ungefähre Lage der Gasförderung Neptun Deep)