Romanian spies say Russian group caused fire at weapons plant
Prosecutors seek extradition of three suspects detained in Germany and Poland, while NATO reports eight cargo ships struck off the coast recently.
By Charlotte Dubois ·
Romania's Intelligence Service announced on Monday that a Russian coordinated sabotage network likely caused a September fire at an industrial site in central Romania. The facility is located near a state-owned weapons company.
Three key developments emerged from the investigation. First, prosecutors are seeking the extradition of two Belarusian suspects currently held in Germany and one Ukrainian suspect detained in Poland. Second, the Intelligence Service stated that Russian coordinators assigned the network targets, which included state and private weapons production facilities. Third, the group aimed at other objectives of military and industrial interest.
The Romanian president, Nicusor Dan, described the country as a target of a hybrid war intended to destabilize nations supporting Ukraine. He noted that the region shares a land border of more than 600 kilometers with Ukraine. Dan listed drone incursions, cyberattacks, disinformation campaigns, and attacks on cargo vessels as part of this strategy.
Context for the recent escalation includes a series of strikes on shipping lanes. At least eight cargo ships have been hit off the coasts of Romania and Bulgaria in the past three weeks. Reports indicate that approximately 34 sailors are dead or missing. Dan accused Russia of increasing attacks on NATO's eastern flank following these incidents.
A year ago, Poland and Romania detained eight people suspected of involvement in a Russian plot to send exploding parcels to Ukraine. The Russian embassy in Bucharest was unavailable for comment during the report. Moscow has repeatedly denied similar accusations in the past.
