The Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI) has reported that security forces have arrested a Russian citizen accused of an attempted sabotage, having allegedly gathered sensitive information between February and July at strategic facilities in the country, which is part of the European Union and NATO.
In an official note, Romanian Intelligence explained that this Russian citizen, whose identity has not been revealed by the authorities, collected photographic and audiovisual material from communication centers and military bases used by NATO allies, as well as from security agency headquarters and critical infrastructure.
"The data obtained indicates a pattern of action similar to that used in the territory of European states by networks of saboteurs coordinated by entities of the Russian Federation," the SRI pointed out, emphasizing that Romanian authorities have already managed to thwart similar attempts in 2024 and 2025.
According to intelligence services, the suspect, 40 years old, took images of the equipment of the Romanian Armed Forces and their partners, as well as the movements of personnel and military material at various Romanian and multinational bases located in the counties of Cluj, Constanta, Calarasi, Ilfov, and in the municipality of Bucharest.
Among the collected material are also photographs and videos of Ukrainian cargo planes of the Antonov model. The Russian citizen, residing in Romania and monitored by the authorities since February 2026, has been identified by various Romanian media as Ivan Kutsenko.
"The proposal for the preventive detention of the accused for a period of 30 days will be notified to the Bucharest Court of Appeal," indicated in another statement the Directorate for the Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) of Romania.
At the beginning of September, the European Union denounced the increase of Russian hybrid attacks on community territory, while Moscow has repeatedly rejected any responsibility, in a context of new tensions due to the recent attacks against the German airport of Leipzig.