Suspected Russian drones crash in Romania, Moldova

On September 24, suspected Russian drones crashed in Romania and Moldova, following a persistent mass drone and missile assault on Ukraine. Moldovan authorities reported a Gerbera-type drone, commonly utilized by Russia, discovered in the Floresti district. Similarly, a Romanian drone violated Romanian airspace for about four minutes before crashing near Solca in Suceava County.

Romania did not attribute blame to Russia but called for a protest to Moscow. No injuries were reported in either nation. These events unfolded amidst a protracted drone and missile assault on Ukraine, with Chernivtsi Oblast Governor Ruslan Osypenko stating that Russian drones targeted border infrastructure, particularly international crossing points on the Ukrainian-Romanian and Ukrainian-Moldovan borders.

Russian drones and missiles have frequently breached the airspace of both Romania and Moldova in recent months. Notably, a suspected Russian Shahed-type drone nearly hit President Volodymyr Zelensky's plane as it departed Moldova on September 8. Additionally, on August 16, NATO jets neutralized a suspected Russian drone that violated Romanian airspace near the Moldovan border, marking the fourth such incident this year.

On August 17, a Russian S8000 Banderol cruise missile entered Moldovan airspace during an attack on Odesa before crashing in a cornfield near Talmaz, in Moldova's Stefan Voda district.