UAV event in Romania on Mon 24th August 2026

On 24 August 2026, an unidentified military drone that had entered Moldovan airspace at 05:55 from the direction of Vynohradivka in Ukraine, crossed southern Moldova toward Vulcanesti, and exited near Pascani toward Romania at 06:09 was later found crashed into a walnut tree in the yard of a residence in Ciuslea (Garoafa, Vrancea). Romanian radar had detected the target after it entered Romania, including a signal in the Targu Bujor area of Galati, prompting the Romanian Air Force to launch two F-16 aircraft and an IAR-330 SOCAT helicopter and authorities to issue a RO-Alert at 06:12; witnesses in Ciuslea heard a loud noise at about 08:30, and the drone was discovered at about 13:00 around five meters from a house. Authorities evacuated residents within a safety perimeter, and the Ministry of Defence later assessed that the wreckage most likely came from the same drone that had entered Romania from Moldova and confirmed that it carried no explosive charge.