Romanian prosecutors sent Calin Georgescu, the pro-Russian far-right frontrunner in last year's cancelled presidential election, to trial on Tuesday on charges of attempting to disrupt national security.
The European Union and NATO member state canceled its presidential election in December on account of suspected Russian interference in favour of Georgescu, a strong critic of NATO, Brussels and Western support for Ukraine. Moscow denied the accusations of meddling in the election.
Prosecutors said on Tuesday evidence showed that after the election was canceled he had conspired with Horatiu Potra, a former French Foreign Legion soldier, to stage violent protests.
The trial date remains unclear.
The election, which was re-run in May, was ultimately won by pro-European centrist Nicusor Dan.
Georgescu was banned from running again and placed under investigation in two cases. He has denied wrongdoing.
Alongside Georgescu, prosecutors on Tuesday indicted 21 other people in the case, including Potra, a mercenary who had previously worked as a military contractor in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Prosecutors said in a statement that after a covert meeting with Georgescu, Potra formed "a paramilitary group of 21 people which decided to travel to the capital Bucharest where ... they would trigger protests meant to draw wide support from the population against rule of law institutions."
Prosecutors added that a campaign of cyber attacks, public events, and disinformation, linked to pro-Russian groups, targeted 13 state institutions, 12 transport firms, and 17 banks, aiming to destabilise Romania.
While similar hybrid attacks had occurred in the Czech Republic and Poland, Prosecutor General Alex Florenta said in Romania they focused on extremist groups, amplifying hate speech narratives consistent with Russian propaganda. Moscow has denied involvement.
Georgescu had benefited from intensive online campaigns, Florenta said. Data showed the former presidential candidate had been promoted on over 40 online groups known to spread disinformation, with 1.3 million members.
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Global oil prices reached a four year high on Monday (9 March), surpassing $119 a barrel, as conflict in the Middle East rumbled on. Meanwhile, the Turkish Military said NATO air defence systems destroyed a missile fired from Iran towards the country.
Global oil prices surpassed $119 a barrel on Monday (9 March, 2026), an almost four year high, as the Middle East conflict rumbled on.
China has urged Afghanistan and Pakistan to resolve their dispute through dialogue after Chinese envoy Yue Xiaoyong met Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, as fighting between the two neighbours entered its eleventh day.
Iranian civilian and military officials have pledged their obedience to the new leader, Ayatollah Seyed Mojtaba Khamenei, with President Masoud Pezeshkian saying his leadership “will herald a new era of dignity and authority for the Iranian nation.”.
Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is a hardline cleric with strong backing from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. His rise signals continuity in Tehran's anti-Western policies.
Global oil prices surpassed $119 a barrel on Monday (9 March, 2026), an almost four year high, as the Middle East conflict rumbled on.
Trump says the United States "don’t need people that join wars after we’ve already won," targeting his criticism at UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Israel continues to fire missles at strategic sites in Iran and Gulf regions report more strikes from Iran.
China has urged Afghanistan and Pakistan to resolve their dispute through dialogue after Chinese envoy Yue Xiaoyong met Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, as fighting between the two neighbours entered its eleventh day.
Iran named Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his father Ali Khamenei as supreme leader on Monday (9 March), signaling that hardliners remain firmly in charge, as the week-old U.S.-Israeli war with Iran pushed oil above $100 a barrel.
U.S. President Donald Trump and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke by phone on Sunday as tensions between Washington and Westminster deepened over the conflict involving Iran. The call came less than a day after Trump criticised Britain’s response to U.S. strikes on Iranian targets.
Norwegian police are searching for a suspect after an explosion at the U.S. embassy in Oslo on 8 March caused minor damage but no injuries, in what authorities say may have been a deliberate attack linked to the Middle East crisis.
An explosion damaged a synagogue in the Belgian city of Liège early on Monday (9 March) in what authorities said was an antisemitic attack that caused damage but no injuries.
The Group of Seven (G7) finance ministers will meet on Monday to discuss a global rise in oil prices and a joint release of oil from emergency reserves coordinated by the International Energy Agency, the Financial Times reports.
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