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Romania uncovers Russian-led sabotage network targeting defense sites in Europe Romania has uncovered a sabotage network that it says was coordinated directly by Russian intelligence services, the country's domestic intelligence agency SRI announced on Monday, October 26. Acco...

uawire.orgRomania uncovers Russian-led sabotage network targeting defense sites in EuropeRomania has uncovered a sabotage network that it says was coordinated directly by Russian intelligence services, the country's domestic intelligence agency SRI announced on Monday, October 26. According to the agency, the network attempted to set fire to the Carfil weapons factory in the city of Brașov on September 14. Reuters quoted the agency as saying: "Coordinators from the Russian Federation provided the group with an extensive list of targets in the region: state and private arms manufacturers, as well as other sites of military and industrial interest." The agency was unable to reach the Russian embassy in Bucharest for comment but noted that Moscow has repeatedly denied such allegations. The suspects include two Belarusian citizens and one Ukrainian citizen. Two of them were detained in Germany while allegedly preparing similar acts of sabotage, while the third is wanted in Poland, according to the Romanian TV channel Știri. Bucharest is seeking their extradition to Romania. A year ago, Poland and Romania detained eight people suspected of being involved in a Russian plan to send parcels containing explosives to Ukraine. Romania, a member of the European Union and NATO, shares a land border with Ukraine of more than 600 kilometers. President Nicușor Dan has previously stated that Romania is targeted in a hybrid war waged by Russia to destabilize countries supporting Ukraine in its defense against Russian military aggression. Romanian Foreign Minister Dan Nicolaescu told AFP that the Brașov fire was "part of a broader sabotage campaign across Europe" targeting defense production. The SRI said that for such acts of sabotage, recruits are usually found via social media, initially being offered money for "seemingly harmless tasks" such as "monitoring or photographing certain facilities." Its statement added, "The tasks then become more serious and may include acts of vandalism, arson, or even murder." Russian President Vladimir Putin personally ordered an escalation of sabotage operations against NATO countries, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on October 20, citing three European officials familiar with US intelligence findings. According to the report, a failed drone attack at the German airport in Leipzig on August 4 was one of the first actions in this new sabotage campaign. After the Leipzig incident, Russian representatives used an informal communications channel to warn the German government that Leipzig would not be the last target, according to sources familiar with the conversation. The uptick in covert operations reportedly coincided with Russia's lack of major battlefield successes in Ukraine and increased Ukrainian strikes deep inside Russian territory. That incident was followed by a series of new events across Europe. In August, drone-manufacturing plants in Estonia and Poland were set on fire. Slovakian authorities reported that arson at a similar facility had been prevented during the same period. Poland, Lithuania, and Bulgaria have reported acts of sabotage targeting ground stations of the Starlink satellite system. Western officials say the sabotage campaign is being organized by the Department of Special Tasks of the Russian General Staff's Main Directorate, a unit established after the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The unit is led by Colonel General Andrey Averyanov. Western intelligence services have also identified Colonel Denis Smolyaninov, one of the unit's leaders, as being involved in the Leipzig operation, according to the WSJ.

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