Drone crater found in Romania after Russia's night attack on Ukraine

This is stated on the website of the defense ministry. 

It is stated that the Romanian Ministry of Defense monitored the air situation on its territory on the night of October 11 and spotted groups of drones heading for Ukrainian ports. The ministry then informed the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations that areas in the adjacent Tulcea and Galati counties could potentially be affected by the risks posed by this situation. The all-clear signal in these areas was declared at 1:40 a.m. on October 12. 

Subsequently, border guards reported a "possible impact on Romanian territory". The competent authorities went to the area to investigate the situation. 

"At around 5.00 a.m., teams on the scene reported the detection of a drone crater, with a possible explosion during the collision, in a vegetated area near the right bank of the Chilia River, approximately 3 km west of Plaur. Measures have been taken to secure the area and the relevant agencies have been notified to collect evidence and conduct investigations in accordance with established procedures," the statement said. 

The Defense Ministry added that it strongly condemns Russian attacks on the infrastructure of Ukrainian Danube ports. 

"These attacks are unjustified and seriously contradict the norms of international humanitarian law," the ministry emphasized. 

On the night of October 12, Russian terrorists launched 33 drones across the Ukrainian territory. In return, air defense forces destroyed 28 drones. As a result of the Russian attack on Odesa, there was damage to port infrastructure and residential buildings. 

Incidents with falling drone fragments in Romania

On the night of September 3-4, Russia carried out a massive strike on southern Ukraine with Iranian ‘kamikaze’ drones. According to Ukrainian border guards, some of the drones crashed and exploded on the territory of Romania, a NATO member state. Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that there was photographic evidence of the drones crashing in Romania.

The Romanian Foreign Ministry stated that the drone attacks carried out by the Russian Federation did not pose a direct military threat to our national territory or territorial waters.

On September 5, Romanian Prime Minister Klaus Iohannis said that neither Russian drones nor any parts had fallen on Romanian territory.  

OSINT analysts also found that a Russian drone had gone down in Romania near one of the border villages.  

On Wednesday, September 6, Minister Angel Tilvar confirmed that a team from the Ministry of National Defence had found suspected pieces of a Russian drone in Romania.

President Klaus Iohannis said that an investigation should be conducted into the alleged crash of a Russian drone into Romania.

Romania has notified the North Atlantic Alliance of fragments found on its territory that look like a Russian army drone. NATO expressed support and said it was following the developments.

On Friday, September 8, media reported that the Romanian authorities are working to increase security for residents of border settlements near the Odesa region. In response to the Russian threat, the National Emergency Committee decided to create a network of bomb shelters and an air raid warning system.

On September 9, the US announced that it will soon provide additional fighter jets to Romania to strengthen NATO air control missions.

Additionally, Romania decided to relocate air defense equipment closer to the border.

Romania's Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly protested against Russia for the drone debris falling on its territory. The Russian Ambassador was summoned, and consultations with NATO were initiated.

Romania's Deputy Chief of Defense Staff announced that the Romanian military was prepared to shoot down Russian drones if necessary. Romania had deployed approximately 600 military personnel and radar systems in the Danube Delta region. President Klaus Iohannis emphasized that the Russian UAV attacks were not targeted at Romania but deemed them unacceptable.

On September 26, the Orlivka border crossing point with Romania ceased operations due to Russian strikes in the Izmail district of Odesa. During the attack, a bus with children was present, and civilian infrastructure at the checkpoint sustained damage, including the destruction of nearly 30 international trucks, six of which were completely incinerated.

Additionally, on the evening of Friday, September 29, Russian attack UAVs were launched against Ukraine. These Shaheds moved from the Black Sea to Odesa and also targeted an infrastructure site in the neighboring Vinnytsia region. During this attack, the radar surveillance system detected a potential violation of Ukraine's airspace, which was confirmed by Romania's Ministry of Defense.

The Orlivka ferry crossing point on the border with Romania was suspended on the night of October 6 due to a nighttime hostile attack on the port infrastructure of the Odesa region.

On October 11, Romania concluded an investigation into the crash of Russian drones into the country. According to the investigation, Russian drones did indeed crash on the territory of the NATO member state, and were shot down by Ukrainian air defense.