Drone Crashes in Grindu, Tulcea County After Entering Romania's Airspace; Galați on Alert with RO-Alert Message

A drone penetrated Romanian airspace overnight, entering near the Ukrainian border and subsequently crashing in the Grindu area of Tulcea county. The incident prompted an aerial alert, with residents in the Galați region receiving a RO-Alert warning message.

According to the Ministry of National Defense, Romania's radar surveillance system detected a group of aerial targets approaching the Ukrainian border at 02:23 AM. In response, two Spanish Air Force F-18 aircraft were scrambled for monitoring. Simultaneously, a Romanian Air Force IAR-330 SOCAT helicopter was dispatched for aerial reconnaissance.

The National Military Command Center notified the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations, leading to the RO-Alert message being sent to the population in the affected area at 03:20 AM. Just a minute later, at 03:21 AM, a drone was confirmed to have entered national airspace approximately 13 kilometers east of Galați.

Shortly after, the crew of the Romanian helicopter located the crash site. At 03:24 AM, they reported that the drone had fallen in an unpopulated area about 4 kilometers northeast of the village of Grindu, Tulcea county. The impact with the ground caused a fire that extinguished itself. The Ministry confirmed that there were no reported casualties or material damage. A military team is en route to secure the impact zone, and the aerial alert was lifted at 03:52 AM.

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At 03:24, the crew of the IAR-330 SOCAT helicopter reported that the target had fallen approximately 4 kilometers northeast of the locality of Grindu, Tulcea county, in an unpopulated area. The impact with the ground of the aerial vehicle was followed by a fire that extinguished itself. No victims or material damage were reported.