Russian citizen accused of attempting acts of sabotage, remanded in custody for 30 days by the Bucharest Court of Appeal

A 40-year-old Russian citizen was placed under preventive arrest for 30 days on Tuesday evening, September 8, 2026, by decision of the Bucharest Court of Appeal. The man is being investigated by DIICOT for attempted acts of sabotage, after allegedly photographing and filming military equipment, bases, and strategic facilities in Romania, thereby endangering national security.

According to DIICOT, the suspect was allegedly in contact with an intermediary through encrypted messaging services and, between February and July 2026, allegedly identified, surveilled, and documented Romanian and multinational military facilities in the counties of Cluj, Constanța, Călărași, and Ilfov, as well as in Bucharest. The targets allegedly included Ukrainian Antonov cargo aircraft.

The Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI) announced that it had been monitoring the Russian citizen since February, as part of an investigation into attempted acts of sabotage. The institution claims that his activity bore similarities to operations attributed to networks of saboteurs coordinated by Russia in Europe, including cases thwarted in Romania in 2024 and 2025.

According to SRI, the measures taken together with the Romanian authorities and foreign partners prevented a possible act of sabotage on national territory. DIICOT initially detained him for 24 hours, after which prosecutors requested his preventive arrest.