Romanian intelligence services thwart Russian sabotage plot against NATO bases and Antonov aircraft
The Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI) together with the Directorate for the Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) thwarted the preparation of a sabotage plot planned by a 40-year-old Russian with a residence permit in the country, Romania Journal reports.
The attacker was neutralized thanks to the coordinated actions of the Romanian police, military intelligence (DGIA) and partner intelligence services of other states.
Law enforcement officers have been closely monitoring the suspect since February 2026, investigating large-scale hostile attempts at hybrid destabilizing influence.
The investigation established that from February to July, the suspect contacted the curator via encrypted messengers, searching for and recording the coordinates of strategic military facilities.
In particular, the man conducted photo and video recording of Romanian and NATO military bases, communication hubs, defense enterprises and critical infrastructure, and also monitored the logistics of allied troops in Bucharest and a number of counties: Cluj, Constanta, Keleras and Ilfov.
A separate task of his was to monitor strategic aviation, in particular, documenting the presence of Ukrainian Antonov transports in Romania.
The intelligence service emphasized that the exposed actions completely copy the methods of the sabotage network deployed by the Russian special services in European countries.
Thanks to timely counterintelligence measures, the threat was completely eliminated before it reached the phase of practical actions.
DIICOT officers detained a Russian citizen, after which the prosecution appealed to the Bucharest Court of Appeals with a request to take him into custody for 30 days for threatening the country’s national security.