Romania has uncovered a sabotage network coordinated by Russian intelligence services that attempted to set fire to the Carfil arms factory in Brașov on 14 September, the Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI) announced on Monday.”Coordinators from the Russian Federation had assigned the group an extensive list of targets across the region, including state-owned and private arms manufacturers, as well as other facilities of military and industrial significance,” Reuters quoted the SRI statement as saying.The suspects include two Belarusian citizens and one Ukrainian citizen. Two were arrested in Germany while preparing similar acts of sabotage, while the third is being sought in Poland, according to Romanian television channel Știri.Bucharest is seeking their extradition to Romania.A year ago, Poland and Romania arrested eight people suspected of involvement in a Russian plot to send parcels containing explosives to Ukraine.Romanian Foreign Minister Dan Neculăescu described the fire in Brașov as “part of a broader sabotage campaign across Europe” targeting the defence industry.The SRI explained that individuals involved in such operations are typically recruited through social media, initially being offered money for “seemingly harmless tasks”, such as “monitoring or photographing specific facilities”.”Later, the assignments become increasingly serious and may involve vandalism, arson or even murder,” the intelligence service stated.Russian President Vladimir Putin personally ordered an escalation of sabotage operations against NATO countries, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on 20 October, citing three European officials familiar with US intelligence findings.According to the newspaper, an unsuccessful drone attack on Germany’s Leipzig Airport on 4 August was among the first operations carried out as part of the sabotage campaign.WSJ sources revealed that following the incident, Russia warned the German government through an unofficial communication channel that Leipzig would not be the last target.Russia reportedly decided to intensify its covert operations at a time when its armed forces were making little significant progress in Ukraine, while Ukrainian forces were increasingly carrying out strikes against targets deep inside Russian territory.A series of further incidents followed across Europe after the Leipzig attack.In August, drone manufacturing facilities in Estonia and Poland were set on fire.During the same period, Slovak authorities announced that they had prevented an attack on a similar facility.Poland, Lithuania and Bulgaria also reported acts of sabotage targeting stations associated with the Starlink satellite system.According to Western officials, the sabotage operations are organised by the Special Tasks Department of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, established following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.The unit is headed by Colonel General Andrey Averyanov.
Romanian intelligence uncovers Russian-coordinated sabotage network – suspects sought across several countries
