THE WEEK IN REVIEW 26- 30.10.2026
The headline-making events of the past week in Romania
Ştefan Stoica, 31.10.2026, 14:00
Russian Sabotage in Romania, Denied by Moscow
The Directorate for Combating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) and the Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI) have documented and, this week, made public the criminal activities of three foreign nationals: two Belarusians and one Ukrainian. According to the SRI, they are members of a sabotage network coordinated from Russia and were involved in an explosion and fire that occurred in September at an industrial facility in Brașov, central Romania, a subsidiary of Romarm, the country’s primary manufacturer of military equipment. Investigations are ongoing regarding the attempted commission of acts of sabotage, and steps are being taken to extradite the three individuals to Romania. The SRI states that the operations of this Moscow-coordinated sabotage network were not limited to Romania. The Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Russian ambassador in Bucharest to convey their firm protest regarding the act of sabotage. According to the Romanian side, Moscow’s involvement is substantiated by evidence, and the incident is part of a series of hybrid warfare actions carried out by Russia against European states. Bucharest also condemned the systematic attacks by Russian forces on commercial vessels in the Black Sea. Predictably, the Russian representative rejected the accusations, asserting that his country had neither planned nor carried out any acts of sabotage on Romanian territory.
Finally, the long-awaited budget revision
The new government in Bucharest has carried out the first budget revision of the year, an urgent measure, as its absence posed an imminent risk of certain institutions grinding to a halt. Additional funds will be allocated to healthcare, the primary beneficiary, as well as to agriculture, pensions, public sector wages, investments, and local authorities. Ministries facing budget cuts include those for development, education, energy, and transport. The Finance Ministry is maintaining the deficit at 6.2% of GDP. A second budget revision is planned for the near future, once the relevant ministry has assessed the financial and budgetary situation and published a report. When asked about the 60 billion lei (over 11 billion euros) requested by various ministries, Finance Minister Alexandru Nazare stated that the amount is far too high given what Romania can currently afford.
The New Romanian Prime Minister in Chișinău
Nothing changes in the privileged, special relationship between Romania and the neighboring Republic of Moldova following the inauguration of the Luca Niculescu cabinet. Adhering to established custom, Niculescu paid his first official visit abroad this week to Chișinău, where he reaffirmed Bucharest’s commitment to strengthening ties with the Republic of Moldova. Prime Ministers Vasile Tofan and Luca Niculescu have stated that the two nations will accelerate the completion of joint infrastructure and energy projects and further consolidate their economic relations. The head of the government in Bucharest has declared that Romania reaffirms its support for the Republic of Moldova regarding its European integration process, security, and the strengthening of its energy independence. In his turn, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova, Vasile Tofan, stated that the authorities intend to accelerate joint projects with Romania, particularly those focused on connectivity between the two states.
Trilateral Meeting with a Focus on the Black Sea
In mid-week, a meeting of the Defense Ministers of Romania, Bulgaria, and Turkey took place in Sofia. Radu Oprea, Dimitar Stoyanov, and Yaşar Güler discussed measures necessary to strengthen both Allied cooperation in the Black Sea and trilateral cooperation, with the aim of preventing escalation, protecting human lives, and ensuring the safe conduct of civilian activities in the Black Sea. Minister Oprea firmly condemned attacks on commercial shipping, emphasizing that these represent a substantial escalation of the risks associated with the Russian Federation’s war of aggression against Ukraine. He highlighted the need to uphold freedom of navigation and to protect civilian vessels and maritime infrastructure. The Romanian official underscored the necessity of reinforcing protection measures for critical infrastructure and energy assets within Romania’s exclusive economic zone. The parties agreed to intensify the exchange of information and to strengthen coordination among the naval forces of the three states.
Vaccination of Small Ruminants
An emergency vaccination campaign for sheep and goats has begun in the counties of Constanța and Tulcea, in southeastern Romania, a strategic region through which sheep and goat herds leave Romanian territory, bound for third countries. Romania has received all 1.1 million doses of vaccines against sheep and goat pox and Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR), provided free of charge by the European Union. For the time being, temporary restrictions on the movement of sheep and goats throughout Romania remain in effect to prevent the spread of these diseases. Furthermore, the ban imposed by the European Commission on the export of sheep and goats from Romania to third countries, besides existing restrictions on shipments to EU member states, will remain in place until December 31. The Ministry of Agriculture has stated that it will seek to have the European Commission lift these export restrictions at an earlier date.
Handball at the Highest Level
Champions Dinamo Bucharest have qualified for the main round of the Men’s EHF Champions League, following a decisive away victory against the French side Montpellier on Thursday evening, in the final round of the competition’s Group E. Dinamo’s qualification was also made possible by a win for the defending champions, Barcelona (Spain), away in Denmark against Aarhus. Barça finished the preliminary group stage in first place with 12 points, followed by Dinamo with 5 points. (LS)
