Update 2: The six individuals detained by DIICOT for treason and ties with Russian agents are members of the "Vlad Țepeș Command" organization, judicial sources told news agency Agerpres. Through various "press releases," "memorandums," and "notifications," the organization calls for Romania's withdrawal from NATO, the resumption of economic and cultural relations with Russia, China, and Iran, as well as a new leadership structure for Romania through the "Geția" project, led by the "Council of the Wise."

A member of the organization's leadership, Radu Theodoru, a retired general aged 101, is a suspect in the case, according to media reports. On the organization's website, he is listed as part of the leadership of the "Vlad Țepeș Command General Staff."

Update: The Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI) issued a press release detailing that the six individuals had been active since 2023. They have “organized and carried out activities, including the formation of a paramilitary group, aimed at undermining Romania’s constitutional order and conducting subversive actions with an instigating character to influence the country's socio-political life,” SRI said.

Moreover, according to the same source, to achieve their “destabilizing objectives," representatives of the group actively sought support from officers within the Embassy of the Russian Federation.

As part of the same operation, two diplomats from the Russian Embassy in Bucharest were declared persona non grata by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on March 5, SRI also mentioned. According to it, the two Russian diplomats “had engaged in intelligence-gathering activities in strategically significant areas and had supported the unconstitutional actions of the group.”

Initial story: On Thursday, March 6, Romanian prosecutors at the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) detained six individuals, including a retired general aged 100, accusing them of organized crime and treason. Two of the defendants traveled to Moscow in January and allegedly negotiated with Russian agents for Romania’s withdrawal from NATO.

According to the case, starting in 2023, five of the defendants, along with a suspect, "formed an organized criminal group with the goal of undermining Romania's sovereignty and independence through political subversion and the weakening of the country’s defense capabilities." A year later, they were joined by another individual.

The members of the group engaged in continuous, deliberate, public, or covert actions to undermine the Romanian state. Additionally, the group members repeatedly contacted agents of a foreign power, both within Romania and in the Russian Federation, according to the DIICOT statement. 

The official statement does not name any individuals, but it comes a day after Romania expelled two military attachés of the Russian Federation and after prosecutors raided the home of retired general Radu Theodoru, a 101-year-old war veteran and a known associate of Russia. Moreover, Russia has recently commented in support of Romanian far-right politician Calin Georgescu – currently under investigation for serious allegations, including planning a coup d'etat.

In the case of the five individuals, prosecutors also say that the organized crime group was formed under the guise of an organization and developed as a military-style structure with a chain of command and operational personnel. 

Investigations revealed that the group recruited followers via online platforms and published video materials (notifications addressed to Romanian authorities, national and international organizations).

Furthermore, the defendants allegedly sought to negotiate with foreign political-military entities regarding Romania’s withdrawal from NATO, the removal of the current constitutional order, the dissolution of political parties, the formation of a new government composed of organization members who would take ministerial positions, the removal of all state employees, the adoption of a new constitution, and changes to the country’s name, flag, and national anthem. 

Additionally, in January, two of the defendants traveled to Moscow, where they contacted individuals willing to support their efforts to take control of the Romanian state, prosecutors say.

Prosecutors now ask for pre-trial detention for four of the defendants and house arrest for the other two. The investigation into the retired general is ongoing, with no preventive measures currently imposed.

The day before, on March 5, the Romanian authorities executed eight search warrants in Bucharest and the counties of Ilfov, Giurgiu, and Maramureș, seizing multiple pieces of evidence.

radu@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Inquam Photos | Alexandru Busca)