Romania foiled a Russian sabotage plot: Russian citizen detained
Romanian intelligence services and law enforcement announced the prevention of a sabotage operation that, according to them, was coordinated by Russia. A 40-year-old Russian citizen was detained in connection with the case; he had been gathering information about military facilities, infrastructure, and Ukrainian Antonov cargo planes.
The operation was reported on September 8 by the Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI). It also involved the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT), units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and military intelligence of Romania, as well as foreign partner intelligence services.
According to the SRI, the Russian citizen lived in Romania and had been under surveillance by the intelligence service since February 2026. The investigation established that he photographed and filmed communication centers, military bases used by NATO allies, facilities of the Romanian defense and security system, and critical infrastructure.
Ukrainian Antonov cargo planes were of particular interest during their stay on Romanian territory. The SRI claims that the Russian received instructions from an intermediary, and his pattern of actions matched the methods of sabotage networks that Russian structures have used in other European countries.
DIICOT specified that the suspect is 40 years old. According to the investigation materials, from February to July 2026 he allegedly acted in preparation for hybrid sabotage and maintained contact with a handler via encrypted messaging services. The man identified and tracked targets, collected military information, and also took and transmitted photographs of equipment of Romanian and allied armed forces and movements of military personnel.
The investigation identified episodes related to military and multinational bases in the Romanian counties of Cluj, Constanța, Călărași, and Ilfov, as well as in Bucharest. The prosecutor's office believes that these actions created a threat to Romania's national security.
On September 8, DIICOT prosecutors detained the Russian citizen on suspicion of attempting to commit acts of sabotage. The investigation intends to request the Bucharest Court of Appeal to place him in pre-trial detention for 30 days.
The SRI stated that the suspect's actions correspond to the model of Russian sabotage networks, cases of which have already been thwarted in Romania in 2024 and 2025. According to the intelligence service, Russia continues to involve vulnerable individuals in such operations, using them to carry out illegal tasks.
