Police received a report of the explosion during the day and found fragments of an attack drone at the scene.
Investigators determined that the aircraft exploded at an altitude of about 2.5 meters, or 8 feet, after colliding with a tree in a forest belt.
No one was injured, but drone fragments were scattered across a large area and damaged several properties in Crocmaz.
“According to preliminary findings, the fragments discovered have characteristics similar to components of a guided missile, indicating that the aircraft may have been a missile-type drone,” Moldovan police said.
Authorities said this was the first incident involving such an aircraft on Moldovan territory.
Crocmaz lies near Moldova’s border with Ukraine’s Odesa Oblast, which came under a large-scale Russian attack on Aug. 9.
Odesa Oblast authorities reported 14 people injured in the attack, as well as damage to homes and energy infrastructure.
The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russia used several types of weapons against the region, including Banderol loitering munitions.
Fragments of Russian Geran drones have previously been found in Moldova.