Romania detains a Russian man accused of scouting military bases used by NATO allies and critical infrastructure for an alleged sabotage plot

Source: Romanian Intelligence Service

Romanian authorities have detained a 40-year-old Russian citizen suspected of plotting an act of sabotage in the country, according to Romanian news outlet Digi24.

The Romanian Intelligence Service said the man had been under surveillance since February 2026. As part of the alleged sabotage plot, he followed instructions from an intermediary and photographed Romanian military equipment, military bases used by NATO allies, communications hubs, and critical infrastructure sites. He also filmed Ukrainian Antonov cargo aircraft while they were in Romania.

The intelligence service said the suspect’s methods resembled those used elsewhere in Europe by sabotage networks coordinated by Russian entities. The intelligence service said it thwarted the plot in cooperation with other agencies, including intelligence services in partner countries.

Authorities have not named the detainee. Newsweek Romania identified him as Ivan Kutsenko. Agentstvo, which reviewed leaked records, said Kutsenko is from Novosibirsk. In 2009, Kutsenko, his brother and another man were implicated in a robbery case. According to the case files, the three men abducted someone and drove him to a field, where they used a less-lethal weapon to rob him of his phone, 250 rubles, and a sweater. Journalists could not determine how the case ended or whether Kutsenko went to trial.

According to Agentstvo, Kutsenko flew to Romania several times in 2019 and 2021 and to neighboring Moldova in 2020, all before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. After the invasion began, he flew to Turkey at least once.

At Meduza, we are committed to transparency about our use of artificial intelligence in the newsroom. The story you’re reading was written by one of our living, breathing journalists and translated from Russian using an AI model configured to follow our strict editorial standards. This translation process is the result of extensive testing and refinements to ensure our English-language coverage is timely and accurate. A Meduza editor reviews every draft before publication.

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Romania detains a Russian man accused of scouting military bases used by NATO allies and critical infrastructure for an alleged sabotage plot

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Romania detains a Russian man accused of scouting military bases used by NATO allies and critical infrastructure for an alleged sabotage plot

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