In an unprecedented move, authorities in Bucharest arrested six citizens Wednesday for organising a paramilitary group with Moscow's support, linked to the expulsion of the Russian military attache to Romania and his deputy.
ADVERTISEMENTRomanian authorities detained six individuals in a series of raids on Thursday on suspicion of treason, an unprecedented accusation in the broader investigation linked to the expulsion of the Russian military attache and his deputy on Wednesday.
Romania’s national intelligence service SRI said in a statement that in a joint action by multiple domestic security services, the organised crime and terrorism directorate (DIICOT) detained a group of Romanian citizens who organised a paramilitary group in 2023 and “conducted activities against the constitutional order of Romania”.
The six are also suspected of “subversive actions of instigation to influence the social and political life of the country,” the statement said.
In a striking development, the SRI revealed in the same statement that the group “actively solicited support from officers of the embassy of the Russian Federation” in Bucharest.
“Within the same actions, at the proposal of the Romanian Directorate for Defence Information and the SRI, two Russian embassy in Bucharest diplomats were declared personae non grata by the Romanian Foreign Ministry."
"The two Russian diplomats carried out intelligence gathering from strategic areas and conducted activities to support the group’s anti-constitutional actions," the statement concluded.
Sources close to the investigation quoted by Euronews Romania said that the group’s objectives were the overthrow of the Romanian institutions, shutting down the political parties and pushing for Romania to exit NATO.
Members of the group have also visited Moscow and were in repeated contact with foreign agents both in Romania and in Russia, according to the sources.
Military, air and naval attache out
On Wednesday, Romanian authorities issued an expulsion order for Russia's military, air and naval attaché Victor Makovskiy and his deputy Evgeny Ignatiev.
Sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity have told Euronews Romania that Makovskiy and Ignatiev have been linked to the ultranationalist politician and 2024 presidential election candidate Călin Georgescu and his campaign.
Georgescu, dubbed the "TikTok Messiah," came out on top in the first round of Romania's presidential elections in December, which the country's constitutional court annulled following the declassification of intelligence reports showing Russian involvement in influencing voters through social media to support the then-relatively unknown candidate.
Georgescu is facing criminal proceedings including anticonstitutional acts and misreporting his campaign finances.
The charges also revolve around his support for sympathisers of the Iron Guard, a pre-World War II fascist and antisemitic movement and political party, which is illegal under Romanian law.
The Kremlin has stated on Wednesday that it will issue "an appropriate response" to Makovskiy and Ignatiev's expulsion, Russian state-owned outlet Tass reported, citing a Russian Foreign Ministry official.
"The Russian side considers this step unjustified and unfriendly and reserves the right to take retaliatory measures," Russia’s charge d'affaires in Romania Yelena Kopnina told Tass.