- Romania detained a 40-year-old Russian accused of filming military sites to prepare sabotage on orders from Moscow.
- Prosecutors say he gathered intelligence between February and July 2026, photographing NATO equipment, personnel movements and Ukrainian Antonov cargo aircraft.
- Romanian Intelligence says it foiled a sabotage operation coordinated by the Russian Federation, with help from national and international partners.
- Moldovan police also detained a 49-year-old Azerbaijani suspected of collecting information on military and US facilities for Russian intelligence.
Romanian authorities said Tuesday they had detained a Russian citizen accused of filming and photographing military sites in the NATO country bordering Ukraine to prepare for an act of sabotage on the orders of Moscow.
The 40-year-old Russian citizen is accused of gathering military intelligence in the country between February and July 2026, prosecutors said in a statement.
The suspect allegedly photographed NATO equipment at several military bases, including in the capital Bucharest, and the movement of personnel and combat equipment.
“The Romanian Intelligence Service, in cooperation with national and international partners, has foiled a sabotage operation coordinated by the Russian Federation on Romanian territory,” the Romanian intelligence service said in a separate statement.
Since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Kyiv’s European allies say they have frequently been targeted by “hybrid attacks” linked to Russia.
The attacks fall below the threshold of open warfare, but have included drone flights near sensitive sites, airspace violations, cyberattacks and suspected assassination plots.
Russia denies involvement.
The Romanian intelligence service said the detained Russian citizen had been “instructed by an intermediary to take photos and videos of targets of strategic military interest, including Ukrainian Antonov cargo aircraft.”
He kept in touch with an individual coordinating the operation via encrypted online messaging services, according to prosecutors.
Moldovan police also on Tuesday said they had detained a 49-year-old man from Azerbaijan “suspected of unauthorised gathering of information” on behalf of Russian intelligence services.
The suspect is accused of collecting information on military sites in Moldova, including US facilities, the police said.
