Romania’s domestic intelligence agency said it prevented a Russian-backed sabotage on Romanian facilities last summer, publicly exposing Kremlin efforts to destabilize the EU and NATO ally.
The Romanian Intelligence Agency, the SRI, said it had foiled attempts by a Colombian who allegedly wanted to blow up or set fire to industrial facilities and constructions in Romania, following instructions from the Kremlin espionage agency.
The attempted sabotage operation was orchestrated by the Russian Federation, and the Colombian citizen was affiliated to an extensive network of saboteurs targeting European countries, controlled by the Russian secret services through intermediaries, according to a statement on Jan 17.
The revelation, which is unusual in its detail, comes weeks after Romanian intelligence reports disclosed that Russia interfered in Romania’s presidential election to favor Calin Georgescu, a NATO and EU skeptic who unexpectedly won the first round. The Constitutional Court canceled the runoff over the interference. President Klaus Iohannis explained it was “complex and subtle” manipulation, but many Romanians remain unconvinced that Russia is targeting their country. Moscow has denied the allegations.
“Romania was targeted, between July and August and the SRI managed to prevent a sabotage operation being carried out by identifying the attacker before he even acted. This mode of operation is (one of the) hybrid techniques that the Russian Federation uses in Romania and other allied states.
Working in cooperation with European partner intelligence services as well as using its own resources, the SRI managed to quickly identify the Colombian citizen Luis Alfonso Murillo Diosa, who arrived in Romania at the end of July with the aim of undertaking diversionary actions,” the SRI said in a a statement.
The SRI said it established Diosa’s intention to sabotage Romanian facilities based on intelligence it received with pre-established instructions, photos showing the intended targets.
The SRI informed the Interior Ministry and Diosa was detained on July 30, 2024.
He was found documenting in detail the areas next to a recyclable materials warehouse in Bragadiru, a town near Bucharest. The warehouse is located in proximity to several critical infrastructures (oil extraction wells, gas pipelines or telecommunications towers).
He was detained by anti-terrorism prosecutors and will face trial on charges of a crime against national security.
The SRI investigation confirmed his affiliation to an extensive network of saboteurs targeting European countries, which were controlled by the Russian secret services through intermediaries.
“The conclusions and assessments of European partner services validate the concerted and coordinated nature of the operations on Romanian territory by the Russian Federation,” the institution said.
The saboteur was instructed to periodically communicate and personally document the entire cycle of activities that he was going to carry out, certifying them by sending images with specific landmarks that would confirm that the person was acting according to the training he received.
“At the same time, photo-video documentation was necessary for the use of data in fake news campaigns carried out on social media platforms, which using propaganda present large-scale diversionary operations carried out by an alleged pro-Russian Ukrainian resistance. Campaigns aimed at inducing panic and distrust in the authorities among the civilian population are pre-established and launched in an organized manner.
“As the saboteur was detained and could no longer communicate with the coordinators, they were misled by the fact that, in the same period, on 01.08.2024, there was a fire caused by a short circuit, in Bragadiru , though it was in the county of Teleorman County, ” the statement said.
The agency said that Russian Telegram channels issued disinformation using images of other fires, saying the location in Bragadiru, Ilfov had been targeted and claiming it was a facility involved in supporting Ukraine’s war effort. The Kremlin narrative said the fire was started by a pro-Russian Ukrainian resistance group that destroyed a “logistics center where fuel was stored that was to reach Ukraine”.
Romanian authorities denied the allegations at the time.
Călin Georgescu and his connections to Romanian communist-era diplomacy
