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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