The key facts
- SRI links the September 14 fire at the Carfil plant in Brașov to a sabotage network whose coordination is attributed to Russia
- Two suspects — Belarusian citizens — were detained in Germany; the third, a Ukrainian citizen, was reportedly found in Poland according to Life.ru, while Kun.uz says he is being sought
- Bucharest is seeking the suspects' extradition to Romania
What the Romanian intelligence services stated
On October 26, the Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI) announced the uncovering of an international sabotage networksuspected of involvement in the September 14 fire at the Carfil industrial site in Brașov, next to the eponymous plant of the state-owned defense concern Romarm. The country's authorities claim that the group's actions were coordinated from Russia and view the incident as part of a series of sabotage attacks against military industry facilities in Europe. According to the investigation, the sabotage involved 'a number of citizens from former Soviet republics residing in EU states.'
The suspects and their fate
Romania's Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) identified three suspects. Two Belarusian citizens were detained in Germany — according to the Romanian TV channel Știri, at the moment they were preparing similar sabotage operations. The fate of the third suspect, who holds Ukrainian citizenship, is described differently by sources: Life.ru writes that he was 'found in Poland,' while Kun.uz, citing the same TV channel, reports that the third suspect is being sought in Poland. Bucharest is seeking the suspects' extradition to Romania.
How, according to the investigation, perpetrators are recruited
According to SRI, perpetrators for such actions are recruited through social media and messengers: first, they are offered seemingly harmless tasks for money — such as observing or photographing facilities — then the assignments become more complex, up to vandalism, arson and, as the agency claims, murder. According to the intelligence service, the suspects used other people's documents and various means of communication to conceal their identities. Citing Reuters, Kun.uz reports that coordinators in Russia allegedly handed the group a broad list of targets in the region — state and private arms manufacturers, military and industrial infrastructure; the investigation is also examining information about preparations for sabotage at facilities where Ukrainian servicemen are trained.
Reaction and context
Romania's Foreign Minister Oana Niculescu called the incident in Brașov part of a broader campaign against Europe's defense industry, AFP reports; President Nicușor Dan had earlier described Romania as one of the targets of Russia's 'hybrid war.' The agency was unable to obtain prompt comment from the Russian embassy in Bucharest; Moscow has repeatedly rejected such accusations in the past. Kun.uz also recalls that on October 20 The Wall Street Journal, citing three European officials familiar with the findings of American intelligence services, wrote about Vladimir Putin's personal order to step up sabotage against NATO countries — this information remains a claim by sources, not a confirmed fact.
