Russian-orchestrated sabotage plot foiled in Bucharest, company targeted for arson

  The Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI) has announced that, working with both national and international partners, it has thwarted a new sabotage attempt organised by the Russian Federation on Romanian soil, aimed at a Bucharest-based company."The Romanian Intelligence Service, in cooperation with DIICOT [the Directorate for Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism], MAI [the Ministry of Internal Affairs] - DCCO [the Combating Organized Crime Directorate], MApN [the Ministry of National Defence] - DGIA [the General Directorate for Defense Intelligence], as well as foreign partner services, prevented a new sabotage operation on national territory involving two Ukrainian citizens, who were under the direct coordination of Russian intelligence representatives, their objective being to destroy, by arson, the headquarters of the Nova Post company in Bucharest," the quoted source mentioned.In this context, on 14 and 15 October, SRI identified and monitored two Ukrainian citizens who entered Romanian territory from Poland en route to Bucharest, who dropped two parcels to the Nova Post headquarters in Bucharest, containing improvised incendiary devices with remote initiation, concealed inside audio headsets and car parts, along with GPS-based location tracking components."The mobilisation of our own teams and specialised resources enabled the immediate identification of the incendiary parcels, their defusing, and the prevention of any intentional or accidental activation of the devices," the Romanian Intelligence Service stated.Currently, judicial authorities, together with police and national security structures in Romania, are conducting investigations, including joint efforts with partners regarding the actions of the two Ukrainian citizens.According to SRI, the preliminary analysis reveals a complex modus operandi: the use of incendiary substances (thermite and barium nitrate), the concealment of these with the possibility of remote initiation and the adoption by the two Ukrainian nationals of self-protection measures typical of intelligence services."The data obtained confirm the affiliation of the two Ukrainian citizens to a broad network of saboteurs targeting European countries, controlled by Russian intelligence services. Their actions follow the same operational pattern aimed at the extensive infrastructure of Nova Post - Ukraine's largest private courier company. The specific measures taken by SRI, along with actions coordinated with Romanian authorities and external partners, have led to the prevention of a sabotage attempt on national territory," SRI added."Romania continues to remain during this period, together with other Eastern European states such as Poland and the Republic of Moldova, a target of the Russian Federation's aggressions. The objectives of this aggression are the same everywhere: undermining public order, creating social tensions, and influencing society ahead of major events of public interest, such as electoral processes. At the same time, efforts are being made to reduce the support these states provide to Ukraine ? in this case, by attempting to damage the largest Ukrainian courier infrastructure, which connects millions of Ukrainians living abroad with those who remain at home," said the SRI spokesperson Ovidiu Marincea.According to him, the law enforcement structures in Romania and throughout the region continue to act "in a unified and coordinated manner" to counter the destabilising actions of the Russian Federation."The operation carried out in recent days demonstrates the excellent level of cooperation ? not only in terms of investigation, but also judicially," Marincea added.DIICOT prosecutors - Central Structure ordered the detention of two defendants (Ukrainian citizens), aged 21 and 24, under investigation for the attempted commission of acts of diversion.Based on the evidence collected, it was established that the defendants entered Romanian territory and, on 15 October, deposited at the premises of an international courier company two parcels containing improvised devices intended to set fire to the building, DIICOT said.According to the same source, the premises are located on the ground floor of a residential building in central Bucharest, Sector 3. In the event of a fire, it could have easily spread to the surrounding buildings, posing a real danger to the lives of a large number of people as well as to nearby properties and goods.With the support of bomb disposal specialists from the Romanian Intelligence Service, the devices were neutralised.Subsequently, a judge for rights and liberties with the Bucharest Court of Appeal ordered the preventive arrest of the defendants for a period of 30 days, DIICOT also noted.The action of the two was part of a broader operation.Reuters reported on Tuesday, quoting the authorities in Warsaw, that Poland and Romania had detained eight individuals suspected of planning acts of sabotage on behalf of Russia, with three arrests made in connection with an alleged new plot to send explosive parcels ? this time to Ukraine."Preliminary information indicates that the suspects created a kind of route to send explosives through Poland and Romania to Ukraine," said Jacek Dobrzynski, spokesperson for the Special Services Coordinator."One of them, a 21-year-old Ukrainian, was detained here in Poland, near Warsaw. His associates, who were travelling towards Romania, were detained by the Romanian special services in Bucharest," he added.