Romania’s Ministry of National Defence confirms a drone crashed in Suceava after an alert was sent to residents of Botoșani

A drone crashed on Saturday, September 12, in a cornfield near the village of Botoșenița Mare, Suceava County, shortly after a RO-Alert message was sent in Botoșani County regarding a possible drone incursion. No casualties were reported.

The Ministry of National Defense announced that the air operations centers in Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova had informed the Romanian authorities about a drone crossing the airspace of the two states and heading toward northeastern Romania. Two F-16 aircraft took off from the Borcea 86th Air Base to monitor the situation.

At 4:20 p.m., the population of Botoșani received a RO-Alert message, including in English, advising people to take shelter. During the same interval, a drone was reported above the village of Știubieni.

Forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs subsequently identified the object that had crashed in Suceava. The impact caused a small fire and formed a cavity approximately one meter in diameter and 30 centimeters deep. An SRI pyrotechnics team is heading to the site for an assessment.

The incident occurred a few days after fragments of drones, including ones carrying explosive payloads, were identified in the counties of Constanța and Tulcea, as well as in the Black Sea. The authorities are also checking a possible fragment brought ashore by the waves in Eforie Nord.