Romania arrests 6 suspects plotting coup in collusion with Russia
Baku, March 7, AZERTAC
The Bucharest Court of Appeal ordered, on Thursday night, the preventive arrest of two members of the organization “Vlad Țepeș Command”, Adrian Robertin Dinu and Marius Semeniuc, accused of treason and ties to Russian agents, according to Agerpres.
Four other members of the group were placed under judicial control for a period of 60 days, respectively Ștefan Mateescu, Raul – Mihail Lupu, Georgică – Cristian Atitiene and Radu Pompiliu Șofran. They have several restrictions, including the ban on leaving Romania.
Adrian Robertin Dinu is the one who founded the General Staff of the ‘Vlad Țepeș’ Command, posting several videos on the organization’s website, in which he said, among other things, that ‘we can laugh at everything, having the blessing of the Russian Federation’. He also announced that he supports Călin Georgescu.
Marius Semeniuc is a Slavic languages teacher at the ‘Poienile de Sub Munte’ Technological High School and the ‘Sarmația’ Technological High School in Maramureș County, and Radu Pompiliu Șofran is a former journalist at Radio Bucharest, currently retired.
The six defendants were detained on Thursday by Romania’s Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) for the establishment of an organized criminal group and treason, being accused of having formed a military-type organization and having negotiated with Russian agents Romania’s exit from NATO.
Radu Theodoru, a 101-year-old retired general, who appears on the organization’s website as the head of the ‘Vlad Țepeș Command Staff’, is also being investigated as a suspect in the case. Defense Minister Angel Tîlvăr apologized on behalf of the Ministry of Defense after a congratulatory letter was sent, under his signature, to retired Major General Radu Theodoru in January on the occasion of his 101st birthday.
Through various ‘communicates’, ‘memorandums’ and ‘notifications’, the ‘Vlad Țepeș’ Command organization requested Romania’s exit from NATO, the resumption of economic and cultural relations with Russia, China and Iran, but also a new leadership structure for Romania through the ‘Getia’ project, led by the ‘Council of the Wise’, which has a ‘Council of Elders’ and ‘Local Committees of Elders’ under its control.
‘The evidence administered in the case revealed that, starting in 2023, five of the defendants, together with a suspect, constituted an organized criminal group with the aim of undermining the sovereignty and independence of the Romanian state by politically undermining the country’s defense capacity. Starting in 2024, another defendant joined the organized crime group, all members carrying out continuous, conscious, public or conspiratorial actions in order to achieve the proposed goal. “Also, the members of the criminal group repeatedly contacted agents of a foreign power, located both on the territory of Romania and the Russian Federation,” DIICOT said in a press release.
According to DIICOT, the organized crime group was formed under the cover of an organization and developed in the style of a military-type structure, with management echelons (staff) and execution personnel, represented by the image of the suspect investigated in the case, a retired major general.
The research revealed that the members of the group, through online platforms, recruited followers and published video materials (notifications addressed to the Romanian state authorities, national and international organizations).
The defendants also took steps to conduct negotiations with external political and military factors regarding Romania’s withdrawal from NATO, the removal of the current constitutional order, the dissolution of political parties, the installation of a new Government formed by members of the organization who will hold ministerial positions, the removal of all employees from state institutions, the adoption of a new Constitution,changing the country’s name, flag and anthem.
At the same time, during January, two of the defendants traveled to Moscow, where they came into contact with people willing to support the organization’s efforts to take over state power in Romania.
The indictment of the six members of the “Vlad Țepeș” Command organization is related to the expulsion of the two Russian diplomats from our country.
“The two Russian diplomats carried out intelligence-gathering actions in areas of strategic interest and took actions to support the group’s anti-constitutional efforts,” the Romanian Intelligence Service announced.
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