Explosion in Moldova near Ukraine border: police find combat drone fragments in Crocmaz

Explosion in Crocmaz

A powerful explosion shook the village of Crocmaz in Moldova's Ștefan Vodă district on Sunday, around midday, triggering a vegetation fire. The village lies in southeastern Moldova, near the border with Ukraine and approximately 100 km from Chișinău. Police were alerted to the blast, and all specialized response teams were dispatched to the scene.

By approximately 13:40, authorities had discovered fragments at the site that they preliminarily identified as belonging to a combat drone. Specialists from the Police's technical-explosive section were sent to conduct a visual examination followed by a specialist analysis to determine the exact origin of the fragments and the cause of the explosion. The Inspectorate General of Police (IGP) confirmed that no person was injured in the incident.

Fire contained

The fire, which spread across dry vegetation and stubble fields, was localized and extinguished by firefighters and rescue teams. At 16:35, the Ștefan Vodă District Council published images from the scene showing the aftermath. Authorities continued checks to establish the exact circumstances of the incident, the nature of the object, and any damage caused.

At present, the authorities continue the checks to establish the exact circumstances of the incident, the nature of the object and any possible damage caused. We recommend that citizens avoid approaching the secured area and, in case of identifying fragments or suspicious objects, not to touch them and immediately inform the 112 service.

Pattern of drone incidents

Drone incidents in Moldova have occurred repeatedly in the context of the war in Ukraine. A few days before the Crocmaz explosion, drone fragments were found in the Cahul district. The previous month, a drone carrying 50 kg of explosives fell in the Căușeni district. One of the most serious cases occurred in February 2024 near the village of Etulia in the Vulcănești district, where fragments of a Shahed-type drone were discovered, including the warhead containing approximately 50 kg of explosive substance. The area was secured and specialists neutralized the charge through a controlled detonation.

Authorities in Chișinău have repeatedly warned that the devices could originate from Russian attacks against infrastructure in Ukraine. In most reported cases so far, there have been no casualties. Moscow maintains that drones falling in Moldova are "nonexistent threats."

Regional context

The Crocmaz incident occurred one day after Bulgarian authorities reported a drone crashing near the border with Romania. On Saturday, Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev stated that a drone had entered Bulgarian airspace and exploded approximately 100 meters inside Bulgarian territory, near the former Kardam border crossing and about one kilometer from a gas compression station on the Trans-Balkan pipeline route. Bulgaria's Ministry of Defense later announced that a preliminary analysis of the wreckage identified it as a Maya-type decoy drone, "widely used by the Ukrainian armed forces," adding that there were "no indications that it was a deliberate incident." Romania's Ministry of Defense stated that its radar systems had not detected any aerial vehicle crossing Romanian airspace toward Bulgaria.