The Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI) said it prevented a sabotage operation on Romanian territory together with law enforcement agencies and foreign partners. A Russian citizen has been detained in the case.
According to the SRI, the 40-year-old Russian national, who lives in Romania, had been under surveillance since February 2026. He is suspected of gathering intelligence in preparation for sabotage.
Investigators found that between February and July 2026 the suspect photographed and filmed military and critical infrastructure. The targets included Romanian and allied military bases, communications centers, headquarters of national defense, public order and security institutions, and other critical infrastructure. Among the sites of interest were also Ukrainian Antonov cargo aircraft while they were on Romanian territory.
Prosecutors say the man acted on instructions from an intermediary, communicating via encrypted messaging apps. The SRI said the pattern matches the methods used by sabotage networks coordinated by entities from the Russian Federation, including cases already disrupted in Romania in 2024 and 2025. The service also said Russia continues to recruit people from vulnerable groups for such operations.
The operation was carried out with the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT), the Interior Ministry’s anti-organized crime directorate (MAI-DCCO), the Defense Ministry’s General Directorate for Defense Intelligence (MApN-DGIA), and foreign partner services. On September 8, 2026, prosecutors from DIICOT’s central structure ordered the detention of the Russian citizen on charges of attempted acts of diversion. They will ask the Bucharest Court of Appeal for a 30-day preventive arrest warrant.
According to prosecutors, the suspect collected information on Romanian and allied military equipment, as well as the movement of personnel and combat hardware at sites in Cluj, Constanța, Călărași and Ilfov counties and in Bucharest. Investigators say those actions posed a threat to national security.
The SRI thanked its national and international partners for helping protect Romanian citizens.
