Radar operators picked up a puzzling signal, and a search involving aircraft and helicopters soon drew attention across two Romanian counties.
A drone was found in Romania after it likely crossed the country’s border during another Russian attack on Ukrainian cities.
The device was discovered on Monday near the village of Chuslia in Vrancea County, close to the administrative border with Galați County. The drone crashed next to the yard of a local resident.
Radars detected the drone’s movement
Romania’s Ministry of National Defence said that radar systems intermittently detected signals in the airspace of the Republic of Moldova near Cahul. Later, one of the signals was spotted in the area of the town of Târgu Bujor in Galați County.
Romanian authorities then issued a public warning through the RO-Alert system.
Moldova’s Ministry of Defence clarified that a drone of unknown origin had been flying from the direction of Odesa. It later entered Romanian airspace.
The search lasted several hours
Residents of Galați County reported on social media that they had seen the drone over populated areas. Aircraft and a helicopter involved by Romanian authorities in the search operation were also spotted in the sky.
Emergency services arrived at the drone crash site in the village of Chuslia. Specialists are expected to determine the detailed circumstances of the crash and the origin of the device.
The drone found in Vrancea was likely the same one Romanian services had been searching for for several hours after the signals were detected by radar.