Romania’s foreign intelligence agency, known as the Serviciul de Informații Externe (SIE), has said the country has been targeted by “aggressive Russian hybrid attacks” during its presidential election, according to a document obtained by Romanian news outlet Digi24.
Romanian president Klaus Iohannis recently declassified additional information presented by the Romanian authorities at its Supreme Council of National Defence (CSAT) meeting on November 28, which alleges that Russia interfered with the Romanian presidential election. The Serviciul Român de Informații (SRI), Romania’s main intelligence service, alleged that Russia exploited algorithms on some social media platforms to increase presidential candidate Călin Georgescu’s popularity.
The SIE’s report came out after Romanian presidential candidate Georgescu, a known critic of Romania’s pro-NATO and pro-Ukraine policy, unexpectedly took the lead in the presidential election in November.
Vadim Ghirda/Associated Press
Newsweek has reached out to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation for comment via email.
Newsweek also reached out to Georgescu for comment via email.
The report on November 28 said, “Romania is a target for aggressive Russian hybrid actions, including cyber attacks and information leaks.”
The SIE added, “Please note that, during this year, the political situation in Romania was also addressed on political talk shows in Russia, with Russian journalists launching the idea that pro-Russian forces in Romania could obtain over 30 percent in the parliamentary elections.
“Romania—along with other states on NATO‘s eastern flank—has become a priority for Russia’s hostile actions; there is a growing interest in the Kremlin to influence (at least) the mood and agenda in Romanian society in the electoral context.”
The foreign intelligence agency went on to allege that Russia does this through spreading propaganda and disinformation through emerging technologies, targeting specific groups and communities, and through “supporting Eurosceptic candidates and fueling anti-system movements, including by ‘involving them in protests that shape the public agenda’ and encouraging people to pressure authorities to reduce aid to Ukraine.”
Regarding the promotion of Georgescu’s campaign, the SRI report said its data revealed “an aggressive promotion campaign, carried out with the circumvention of national legislation in the electoral field, but also the exploitation of algorithms of some social media platforms for the increase in accelerated pace of Călin Georgescu’s popularity.” The report specifically highlighted the operation of the TikTok account @bogpr by Romanian citizen Bogdan Peşchir to finance Georgescu’s promotion.
Following the declassification of the documents, presidential candidate Elena-Valerica Lasconi said, “I believe that the Romanians must decide by voting if they want to give Romania as a gift to Russia.”
Georgescu was in the lead in the first-round run-off vote of the election with 22.95 percent of the vote at the end of November, surpassing the other candidates, Lasconi and Ion-Marcel Ciolacu.
The presidential candidate, a former member of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians, a right-wing party, has been critical of Romania’s extensive aid given to Ukraine since the beginning of the war in 2022, and has surged in popularity on TikTok.
The second round of Romania’s presidential election takes place on December 8.
