Russia Detains Romanian Alleged to Spy for Ukraine

On Friday, Russia's security agencies announced the arrest of a Romanian individual suspected of espionage related to gathering information about Russian military facilities on behalf of Ukraine.

Relations between the two nations have become increasingly tense over the past few months due to claims that Russia meddled in Romania’s presidential elections.

The FSB security agency stated that they have apprehended a Romanian individual, born in 2002, for engaging in espionage activities on behalf of Ukrainian intelligence agencies.

As stated by the agency, the suspect had gathered and relayed details regarding the positions of anti-aircraft systems within the city of Sochi.

The state-run media released an FSB video depicting a man being forced down and detained by two FSB officers wearing camouflaged uniforms.

In a recorded interview where his face was pixelated, the accused, who spoke in English, stated that he had relayed details regarding the position of a Russian anti-aircraft unit he observed to a high-ranking Ukrainian intelligence agent named Vladimir.

In the meantime, each country has recently expelled diplomats and military attachés from the other side, as Russia denies accusations of interfering in elections.

Moscow was blamed for orchestrating a significant social media campaign aimed at getting lesser-known EU and NATO critic Calin Georgescu elected as the President of Romania.

The Romanian authorities invalidated the outcomes from the initial round of the previous year's presidential election following Georgescu's lead in the votes, largely due to an extensive social media effort endorsing his bid for presidency.

Russia detains Romanians accused of espionage on behalf of Ukraine.