New drone fragments found near Ukraine border in eastern Romania

Sunday 26 April 2026 - 16:15

New fragments of a drone have been discovered in eastern Romania near the Ukrainian border, the Romanian Ministry of Defence confirmed on Sunday, amid ongoing security concerns linked to the war in Ukraine.

According to officials, the debris was found between the localities of Luncavița and Văcăreni in Tulcea County. A military explosives team was deployed to the area and confirmed the presence of a potentially dangerous explosive component, which is expected to be safely destroyed on site.

The discovery follows a separate incident on Saturday when a drone crashed near the river border between Romania and Ukraine. While no casualties were reported, the incident caused damage to both public and private property and forced the evacuation of more than 200 residents.

Romania, a NATO member, has repeatedly reported violations of its airspace and falling drone fragments since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. However, this marks one of the first times that drone debris has caused material damage inside Romanian territory.

Authorities have not yet confirmed the origin of the newly discovered fragments or whether they are directly linked to Saturday’s crash. The case has been referred to prosecutors in Constanța.

Following the previous incident, Romania’s foreign ministry summoned the Russian ambassador in Bucharest to express concern. Romanian officials also noted that Russia did not categorically deny involvement when questioned about the drone intrusion.

In 2025, Romania adopted legislation allowing its military to shoot down drones that violate its airspace, although no such action has yet been taken.