Russia rejects Romania’s accusations about factory fire, attacks on Black Sea shipping

By Kanyshai Butun

ISTANBUL (AA) - The Russian Embassy in Romania on Tuesday rejected “unsubstantiated accusations” by Romania about a fire in September at a facility in the central city of Brasov.

It said Ambassador Vladimir Lipaev was summoned to the Romanian Foreign Ministry, where he firmly rejected the allegations, stressing that Moscow had never planned, coordinated or carried out acts of sabotage in Romania or any other country.

The embassy described attempts to hold Russia responsible for incidents involving vessels in the Black Sea as “political cynicism and hypocrisy.”

“It is no secret that threats to the safety of navigation in the region are created exclusively by Ukraine and its accomplices, those who supply it with weaponry,” according to a statement on Telegram. “Moreover, the Kyiv regime does not merely fail to deny these actions; it takes pride in its crimes.”

The diplomatic mission claimed that Ukrainian forces targeted more than 250 commercial vessels operating on behalf of Russian economic entities since the beginning of the year, killing 28 sailors.

“None of these ships were carrying military cargo. Yet, no one in the West — Romania included — has condemned these attacks. Bucharest only began to express ‘concern’ once the illicit military shipments to the Kyiv regime, routed through Black Sea ports, were blocked,” it said.

Lipaev urged Romania to recognize that the threat to its security came not from Russia but from what he described as its compliance with an escalating course imposed by the leadership of NATO and the European Union, which he accused of “having lost touch with reality.”

Earlier, Romanian authorities said they had identified a sabotage network coordinated from Russia that they believe was responsible for a Sept. 14 fire near defense manufacturer Carfil SA in Brasov.

Three suspects, two Belarusian citizens and one Ukrainian, were identified, with two arrested in Germany while allegedly preparing similar acts and a European arrest warrant issued for the third, who was located in Poland.

Romanian Foreign Minister Dan Neculaescu said the incident was part of a wider campaign targeting defense production in Europe.