Residents within a radius of approximately 300 meters were temporarily evacuated on Monday, August 24, after a drone was found crashed into a walnut tree near a house in Ciușlea, Vrancea County, Agerpres reported. The Defense Ministry later said the device carried no explosive payload and most likely belonged to a drone that had entered Romania from the Republic of Moldova earlier that morning.

Witnesses heard a loud noise followed by a bang at around 8:30 a.m., Garoafa mayor Laurențiu Diaconu told Agerpres. The owner of the house also noticed a strong smell of fuel.

However, the drone was not discovered until around 1 p.m., when it was spotted in a walnut tree about five meters from the house.

“The area was isolated, and residents within the safety perimeter of approximately 300 meters were evacuated,” Diaconu said.

Police officers, firefighters and other authorities were deployed to determine whether the device presented a danger. According to the mayor, the drone had broken into two pieces, with one remaining in the tree and the other falling to the ground.

“Following the checks, it was established that the drone did not carry an explosive payload,” the Defense Ministry said.

A separate alert was issued later on Monday after the Defense Ministry detected two aerial targets approximately 25 kilometers northwest of Snake Island at 10:37 p.m. The targets were traveling toward Romania’s border.

Two Spanish Air and Space Force F-18 aircraft stationed at Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base were deployed to monitor them. An RO-Alert message was sent to residents in northern Tulcea County at 10:55 p.m.

According to the ministry, the targets disappeared from radar three minutes later, while explosions were reported on the Ukrainian side of the border. No unauthorized entry into Romanian airspace was detected during the second incident.

Another aerial target was detected on Tuesday morning, August 25, approximately four kilometers east of Vâlcove, near Romania’s border, according to the Defense Ministry.

Two Spanish F-18 aircraft from Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base were again scrambled to monitor the situation. The National Military Command Center notified emergency authorities, and an RO-Alert warning was sent to residents in northern Tulcea County at 7:31 a.m.

The ministry said further details would be released as they become available.

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Trentinness/Dreamstime.com)