Romania expels Russian military attaché and deputy amid espionage concerns

Romania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) announced that Romanian authorities have declared the military, air, and naval attaché of the Russian Federation in Bucharest, Alexander Chuprina, as well as his deputy, Evgheni Ignatiev, persona non grata on Romanian territory. The decision was made due to activities that violate the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

These measures were communicated to the Russian side on March 5, 2025, during a summons at the MAE headquarters. The meeting was ordered by Romanian Foreign Minister Emil Hurezeanu, who called in the Chargé d’Affaires of the Russian Embassy in Bucharest to inform him of the decision.

Following Romania’s announcement, Moscow responded by stating that “Russia will give an appropriate response.”

Deputy Military Attaché Named in Prosecutors’ Intercepts

The name of Colonel Evgheni Ignatiev, the deputy military attaché of the Russian Embassy in Bucharest, appears in wiretaps obtained by prosecutors during an investigation into Călin Georgescu, a Romanian figure known for nationalist and pro-Kremlin views.

Context

According to G4Media sources, prosecutors have uncovered compromising conversations and recordings, including a phone call involving Marian Motocu, who is currently under investigation for legionary propaganda (a reference to the Romanian far-right fascist movement) and for spreading antisemitic and xenophobic messages on social media.

In this intercepted conversation, Călin Georgescu tells Motocu:

„If things go well, I’ll start in January. There is a plan, a strategy that only I know. When the time comes—as I told you a year ago—things didn’t align for many reasons, but when they do, you’ll have your place in this action. Stay close to this man,” referring to George Mocanu, reportedly a close associate of Georgescu who came from Canada.

After his conversation with Călin Georgescu, Marian Motocu called the Russian Embassy in Bucharest and requested to speak with Colonel Evgheni Ignatiev. The embassy operator asked him to wait while connecting the call, but no one answered on the other end.