Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service has accused Romania of intimidating the opposition, calling last month’s redo of the presidential election an example of “ideological censorship” in the European Union.
The claim appears in the June issue of Razvedcik (“The Scout”), which is the SVR’s official publication, MSN reported.
The article points to the recent win by pro-European centrist Nicusor Dan to the presidency as an example of political repression in the EU. It does not name any Romanian politicians or institutions or describe alleged acts of repression.
Mr. Dan, 55, rose in the polls to ecisively defeat the nationalist frontrunner, George Simion, a NATO and EU skeptic who echoed Russian narratives on Ukraine.
In March, the SVR surprisingly voiced open support for Călin Georgescu, a pro-Russian candidate who won the first round of original elections in November before the ballot was cancelled over allegations of Kremlin interference. Moscow denies meddling.
The agency criticized Romanian prosecutors for investigating him on charges of seeking to overturn the constitutional order and financial wrongdoing.
The current article asserts that dissenting voices in EU countries are increasingly being silenced.
“Intimidation of dissidents and political opponents is taking on increasingly ugly forms,” the publication claimed. It pointed to Romania’s election and a recent French court ruling that disqualified Marine Le Pen from the 2027 presidential race.
Titled ‘The Growth and Decline of the EU’, the article is written by Aleksei Anatolyevich Gromyko, director of the Institute for Europe of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
The article repeats known Kremlin rhetoric, accusing the EU leadership of trying to “prolong the Ukrainian crisis as long as possible” and of refusing to accept Russia’s “legitimate security interests.”
The author suggests EU members Hungary and Slovakia, run by populist leaders, and non-EU member Serbia are being targeted for rejecting the mainstream EU position on Russia.
In March, the SVR in an unusual, direct statement claimed that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had interfered in Romania’s elections by allegedly pressuring Romanian authorities to ban Georgescu from the redo of presidential elections in May.
The foreign spy agency claimed that the EU had threatened to cut EU funds to Romania if Georgescu remained in the race.
Romanian presidential candidate faces questions about his links to Russian intelligence services
