Wreckage marked Geran-4 found after drone explosion in Moldova
Police found drone wreckage marked Geran-4, plus three craters, near Ivancea after a drone crossed into Moldova for the third time in a day.
Update ·
Police find drone wreckage marked "Geran-4" and three craters near Ivancea, Orhei district.
Also in:Română
A drone that crossed into Moldova from Ukraine on Wednesday evening disappeared from radar near Braneshti in Orhei district and later crashed and exploded near the village of Ivancea, leaving wreckage marked "Geran-4" and three craters, Moldova's national police said. It was the third time in the day that a drone had violated Moldovan airspace, the defence ministry said, according to Ukrainska Pravda.
Police said the aircraft hit trees in a forest strip about ten metres from the G72 road before crashing. Investigators found a crater about 50cm wide and 30cm deep at the main blast site, with two smaller craters, 50cm and 30cm wide, about 15 metres away on the roadside; trees within 30 metres were damaged by the blast. Fragments, including wing pieces marked " 4", electronic components and a turbojet engine with heat damage, were found scattered within about 120 metres, police said. No injuries were reported in the explosion.
The object had entered Moldovan airspace at 20:45 from the direction of Sherenti in Ukraine's Vinnytsia region, heading towards Slobozia-Rashkov in and then towards Tsypova, before disappearing from monitoring near Braneshti, the defence ministry said. Moldova briefly closed airspace over the centre of the country because of the drone, reopening it at 21:09.
Earlier on Wednesday morning, a separate drone flew through Moldovan airspace before falling and exploding outside the village of Hirbovets in Anenii Noi district. Police said it exploded at an altitude of 40 metres after hitting a communications line pole, and no one was hurt in that incident either.
A third drone also flew over Moldova the same day, prompting authorities to close airspace in the northern and central parts of the country. Defence minister Anatolie Nosatîi said the drone was jet-propelled, and gave no further details of its flight path.
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What we know
- 1 outlet · Ukrainska Pravda A drone that crossed into Moldova on Wednesday evening crashed near Ivancea in Orhei district, and police found wreckage marked "Geran-4" and three craters.
- 1 outlet · Ukrainska Pravda The wreckage included wing fragments, electronic components and a turbojet engine with heat damage, scattered within about 120 metres, police said.
- 1 outlet · Ukrainska Pravda It was the third drone to violate Moldovan airspace that day; a separate drone exploded near Hirbovets village that morning after hitting a communications pole.
- 1 outlet · Ukrainska Pravda Moldova briefly closed airspace over the centre of the country, reopening it at 21:09.
- 1 outlet · Ukrainska Pravda No injuries were reported in any of the incidents.
How each fact is established: Verified checked by an ECTV editorOfficial stated by an official body2+ outlets reported independently by two or more news organisations1 outlet reported by a single news organisation so farUnconfirmed claimed or reportedHow we label facts
Why it matters for Europe
Wednesday's incidents were the third and fourth drone incursions Moldova reported in a single day, as Russia carried out a large-scale attack on Ukraine. The wreckage marked "Geran-4" gives Moldovan investigators their first physical evidence of what kind of aircraft is crossing into the country's airspace from the direction of the war in Ukraine.
Updates
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Police find drone wreckage marked "Geran-4" and three craters near Ivancea, Orhei district.
First published.
Sources
Reported by 4 reports from 4 independent outlets in 1 countries.
- Ukrainska Pravda: Безпілотник втретє за день порушив повітряний простір Молдови
- Realitatea.md: Detalii după explozia dronei din raionul Orhei: Au fost găsite trei cratere și fragmente de „Geran-4”
- Moldova 1: FOTO, VIDEO | Explozie lângă carosabil: Drona cu fragmente „Gheran-4” a lăsat trei cratere la Ivancea
- IPN: Fragments marked as “Geran-4”, found after the drone explosion in the Orhei district
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Questions and answers
- What did police find after the drone crashed near Ivancea?
- Wreckage marked "Geran-4", including wing fragments, electronic components and a turbojet engine, along with three craters, Moldova's national police said.
- How many drones entered Moldovan airspace that day?
- At least three, according to the defence ministry: one that exploded near Hirbovets in the morning, one that crossed into Transnistria and disappeared near Braneshti before crashing near Ivancea, and a third jet-propelled drone.
- Was anyone hurt?
- No injuries have been reported from any of the incidents.
This article was written with AI assistance from 4 verified reports and checked under the ECTV editorial policy. Spotted an error? Request a correction.