A Moscow-coordinated group was tasked with monitoring military and industrial facilities, Romanian intelligence says Romanian President Nicusor Dan on Tuesday condemned an alleged Russian sabotage operation in his country, warning that Moscow was waging a coordinated hybrid war aimed at weakening European democracies. "Such actions are unacceptable and represent a serious violation of our country's sovereignty and security," Dan, a pro-EU centrist, said in a statement on X, adding that no foreign power had the right to carry out such operations on Romanian or other European territory. His remarks came after Romania's Intelligence Service (SRI) announced on Monday that it had uncovered a Russian-coordinated sabotage network suspected of involvement in a September fire at an industrial site in central Romania near a state-owned weapons company. According to the intelligence service, the network was tasked with monitoring military and industrial facilities, including weapons production sites. Romanian prosecutors are seeking the extradition of two Belarusian suspects detained in Germany and a Ukrainian suspect held in Poland in connection with the arson case. Campaign to weaken EU states Dan accused Russia of using sabotage, cyberattacks, disinformation and electoral interference to destabilize European countries, while also pointing to a recent escalation of attacks on civilian shipping in the Black Sea. "We must not deceive ourselves about the nature of this threat," he warned, describing Russia's actions as a long-running campaign to weaken European states from within and undermine solidarity among them. The president pledged to strengthen the protection of critical infrastructure and deepen cooperation with NATO and EU partners. Russia has repeatedly denied accusations of involvement in sabotage operations across Europe. (This story includes Reuters reporting)
