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Moldova / 2026-01-22-md-1

object found: Crocmaz village, Ștefan Vodă district (2026-01-22)

/ date found, not date of flight

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What happened

On 22 January 2026 at about 9.25 residents reported to police a drone about 2.5 m long lying in the garden of an uninhabited house in Crocmaz village, Ștefan Vodă district. According to police the aircraft fell the previous night; its body was damaged on power lines and branches but the charge stayed intact: police described it as a Geran-2 model with a BST-52 warhead holding 50 kg of explosive and a 493M fuze. Nearby residents were evacuated and police sappers with the Codru engineer battalion destroyed the charge in a controlled explosion on site; nobody was hurt. Moldova's foreign ministry called the find a drone of Russian origin and a grave violation of sovereignty, and defence minister Anatolie Nosatîi confirmed the aircraft was armed. Who flew it and where it was launched from, the sources do not establish.

Responsibility and limits of the evidence

unresolved

The case was looked at and not settled, or the findings are disputed or have been rejected.

Poliția Republicii Moldova / 2026-01-22 / origin of the equipment

Police described the aircraft as a Geran-2 model drone with a BST-52 warhead (50 kg of explosive) and a 493M fuze. That identifies the type and armament of the equipment, not who flew it or where it was launched from.

Ministerul Afacerilor Externe al Republicii Moldova / 2026-01-22 / origin of the equipment

The foreign ministry called the find a drone of Russian origin, condemned the incident as a grave violation of sovereignty and territorial integrity and pointed to Russia's war against Ukraine as the source of the danger. That is a statement about the origin of the equipment and about context, not a formal attribution of the operator or tasking.

Impact

killed
not established
injured
not established
damage
not established

Nobody was hurt; nearby residents were evacuated for the disposal.

reported (number not established)

Sources

  1. Drona depistată în satul Crocmaz conține un dispozitiv explozibil

    Moldpres / 2026-01-22 / secondary source

    supports: the record, that it happened, the date, the location, the impact, the attribution

  2. Drona căzută la Crocmaz era încărcată cu 50 kg de substanțe explozive și un focos

    Ziarul Național / 2026-01-22 / secondary source

    supports: the record, the impact, the attribution

  3. Drona de tip Shahed-2, dezamorsată acum 10 minute la Crocmaz. Ministrul Apărării: aparatul era armat cu exploziv

    Realitatea.md / 2026-01-22 / secondary source

    supports: the record, the impact

  4. MAE, după ce o dronă a căzut la Crocmaz: Încălcare gravă a suveranității și integrității teritoriale

    TVR Moldova / 2026-01-22 / secondary source

    supports: the attribution

  5. O dronă rusească, găsită la Crocmaz. MAE: Încălcare gravă a suveranității și integrității teritoriale

    Radio Europa Liberă Moldova / 2026-01-22 / secondary source

    supports: the record, the attribution

  6. Russian Shahed UAV with unexploded warhead found in Moldova

    Militarnyi / secondary source

    supports: the record