Russian drone crashes and explodes in Moldovan village

What the authorities say

At around 1:03 a.m., the 112 emergency service received a call after residents spotted a small aircraft resembling a drone on the outskirts of the village. After crashing to the ground, it exploded and caught fire.

Police and firefighters arrived at the scene. The area was immediately cordoned off.

"Police officers and firefighters arrived at the scene. According to preliminary information, no one was injured in the incident. The area was cordoned off, and law enforcement officers are conducting an investigation to establish all the circumstances of what happened," the inspectorate said.

Aftermath of the Russian drone crash (photo: Newsmaker.md)

Whose drone was it?

Moldova's Ministry of Defense said the drone was a Geran-2 type and entered the country's airspace due to Russia's air attacks on the Odesa region.

Moldova's Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the airspace violation and called it further evidence of the threat posed by Russia.

The village where the Russian drone crashed (photo: Google Maps screenshot)

"This new incident is a serious and unacceptable violation of Moldova's airspace and once again confirms that Russia's aggressive war against Ukraine creates direct threats to the security of our citizens and the entire region," the ministry said.

This is not the first case

Moldova has already faced similar incidents.

In May, a drone also entered the country's airspace during a massive attack on Ukraine. At that time, the aircraft flew over several districts for several hours, prompting the authorities to close the airspace temporarily.

Meanwhile, debris from similar drones has also been found far beyond the region.

As previously reported, an unidentified drone, believed to be of Russian origin, washed ashore on a beach in Türkiye. The aircraft had been in the water for a long time, and its wreckage was sent to Ankara for examination.