Romania detains Russian saboteur targeting Antonov aircraft

Romanian authorities have apprehended a Russian individual, believed to be 40 years old, for plotting an act of sabotage targeting military bases utilized by NATO allies and vital infrastructure, as reported by Digi24, a Romanian news outlet. The Romanian Intelligence Service disclosed that this man had been under surveillance since February 2026.

According to the alleged plot, the suspect followed instructions from an intermediary, captured images of Romanian military equipment, NATO ally military bases, communication centers, and critical infrastructure locations, and documented Ukrainian Antonov cargo aircraft while they were in Romania. The intelligence service asserted that the suspect's tactics mirrored those employed by sabotage networks in Europe, orchestrated by Russian entities.

The service further stated that they disrupted the plot in collaboration with other agencies, including those from partner nations. The identity of the detainee has not been disclosed; however, Newsweek Romania has identified him as Ivan Kutsenko. Agentstvo, which examined leaked records, affirmed that Kutsenko hails from Novosibirsk.

In 2009, Kutsenko, along with his brother and another individual, were linked to a robbery case. The case files indicate that the trio abducted a person and forced them to a field, where they used a non-lethal weapon to steal the victim's phone, 250 rubles, and a sweater. The outcome of the case and whether Kutsenko received a trial remain undisclosed.

According to Agentstvo, Kutsenko made multiple visits to Romania in 2019 and 2021, and to Moldova in 2020, all preceding Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Post-invasion, he traveled to Turkey at least once. At Meduza, we prioritize transparency regarding our use of artificial intelligence in the newsroom. This article was authored by one of our human journalists and translated from Russian using an AI model that adheres to our stringent editorial standards.

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