Russian sabotage group set a fire in Brașov

According to the Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI), a sabotage network directed from Russia was behind the September 14 fire in Brașov, which caused damage next to CARFIL SA, a company belonging to the ROMARM state defense industry group. The case involves two Belarusian citizens and one Ukrainian citizen who had been living in EU member states. Two of them were arrested in Germany, while the third was located in Poland, and Romanian authorities have requested the extradition of all three.

The investigation is being carried out by the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) together with the police's Directorate for Combating Organized Crime, based on information from the SRI, and the Bucharest Court of Appeal has issued European arrest warrants against the suspects. The warrant for the man identified in Poland was issued on Monday, October 26, which is when the case became public. The proceedings concern an attempted act of sabotage, and according to prosecutors, the arrests in Germany made it possible to disrupt the preparation of further operations.

Emergency services were alerted to the fire at 3:38 a.m., which engulfed a hall of about a thousand square meters. The building housed two car repair shops, a vehicle inspection station and a dry cleaner's. Firefighters responded with four engines, an aerial rescue vehicle and a SMURD emergency unit, and after nearly four hours of work put out the flames around 7:30 a.m.; no one was injured. Reports at the time described damage to the hall housing civilian businesses, and the current official statements likewise make no mention of any destruction to CARFIL's weapons or ammunition production facilities. According to the SRI, however, the fire was part of an organized sabotage operation, followed by preparations for further attacks.

According to DIICOT, the three men also targeted other facilities in Romania and the EU. Based on information from the SRI, the coordinators in Russia assigned the network to target state-owned and privately owned weapons manufacturing plants, as well as other sites of military and industrial importance; this year's investigations also uncovered plans against international military facilities and sites used to train Ukrainian soldiers. The service considers the incident part of the broader Russian sabotage campaign underway in Europe, aimed at intimidating the countries affected, weakening their defense capabilities and reducing their contribution to European security.

Romanian intelligence also described the recruitment method used. Contact is usually made through social media, where recruiters initially offer money for seemingly harmless tasks, such as observing or photographing a building. Over time, these tasks can escalate into vandalism, arson or even assassination, and anyone who tries to back out is kept in line through pressure and blackmail. Recruiters particularly target people struggling financially, those with addictions, and those with a criminal past, since they are the easiest to put in a vulnerable position. Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan called such attacks unacceptable and congratulated the authorities involved. The investigation continues, with the SRI, DIICOT, interior ministry bodies and military intelligence examining further targets and participants.

Ugar