Romanian intelligence faces criticism after Russian sabotage burns drone factory

A Russian-linked sabotage network succeeded in setting ablaze the Carfil plant in Brașov, a key producer of military drones and precision ammunition that is on Russia’s espionage list but not funded by Romania’s defence ministry or intelligence services. The attack was carried out by three residents of the EU - two from Belarus and one from Ukraine - who were later traced through cross-border judicial cooperation; two were detained in Germany and a European arrest warrant was issued for the third in Poland.

The SRI had announced the disruption of a different sabotage attempt involving a Russian citizen under surveillance for eight months, but it failed to prevent the Brașov incident, raising questions about its preventive role. The episode fits a broader pattern of Russian hybrid operations across Europe, including sabotage attempts in Germany, France, Poland, Estonia and the Czech Republic, as documented in the Munich Security Report 2026. Romanian officials have not disclosed a comprehensive strategy to counter such covert attacks, and the new government has yet to outline a plan to shield critical infrastructure from Russian interference.