Romania's intelligence service, the SRI, announced Tuesday that it had thwarted a sabotage operation coordinated by Russia involving a Russian citizen residing in the country.
The suspect, a 40-year-old Russian national, had been under surveillance by the SRI since February as part of a broad investigation into subversive activities, according to the service's statement. The investigation involved international partner agencies.
The Russian citizen received instructions from an intermediary to create photographic and video material of strategic military targets, the SRI said. These targets included Ukrainian ANTONOV cargo aircraft present on Romanian territory, as well as military bases used by NATO allied states, communications centers, national defense institutions, public order and national security system facilities, and critical infrastructure.
The suspect was detained by authorities. Romania's organized crime and terrorism prosecution agency, DIICOT, ordered his arrest and sought his pre-trial detention before the Bucharest appellate court on charges related to attempted subversive activity.
The SRI noted that the Russian citizen's actions followed patterns observed in previous cases, adding that the Russian Federation continues to use individuals from vulnerable categories to carry out such operations.
European countries have accused Moscow of conducting sabotage, cyberattacks, and disinformation campaigns targeting supporters of Kyiv's war effort. Russia has repeatedly denied involvement in any sabotage activities. The Russian embassy in Bucharest did not immediately respond to a request for comment.