Romania says Russian-coordinated sabotage network likely behind September fire near arms maker

Mixed · 2Romania's Intelligence Service said on Monday 26 October that it had identified a sabotage network coordinated by Russia, which it believed was responsible for a fire in September at an industrial site in central Romania near a state-owned weapons company. 1 2 Mixed · 2Romanian organised crime prosecutors said they were seeking the extradition of two Belarusian suspects apprehended in Germany and one Ukrainian detained in Poland, all suspected of involvement in the arson case. 1 2 Mixed · 2The Intelligence Service said all three belonged to the Russian-coordinated network, whose coordinators had assigned it targets including "state and private weapons production facilities, as well as other objectives of military and industrial interest". 1 2

Mixed · 2Russia's embassy in Bucharest could not immediately be reached for comment outside business hours, but Moscow has repeatedly denied such accusations. 1 2 Mixed · 2Romania, an EU and NATO member, shares a land border of more than 600 km (370 miles) with Ukraine. Centrist president Nicusor Dan has said it is the target of a Russian hybrid war meant to destabilise states that support Kyiv, with acts ranging from drone incursions into Romanian airspace to cyberattacks, disinformation, sabotage and attacks on cargo vessels near Romanian waters. 1 2 Mixed · 2Dan accused Russia of escalating its attacks on NATO's eastern flank this month after a series of drone strikes on cargo ships in the Black Sea; at least eight vessels have been hit off the coast of Romania and Bulgaria in the past three weeks, with about 34 sailors reported dead or missing. 1 2

Mixed · 2As earlier context, a year ago Poland and Romania detained eight people suspected of involvement in a Russian plan to send exploding parcels to Ukraine. 1 2