Italian Intelligence Report : Russia Carried Out 34 Hybrid Attacks on Romania

Russia carried out 34 hybrid attacks against Romania last year, according to a report by the Italian Republic’s Intelligence System for Security (AISE), which indicates that Romania has become one of the Kremlin’s preferred targets. The name of Călin Georgescu also appears in the Italian intelligence services’ document.

The Italian intelligence services’ report states that Romania was targeted by aggressive hybrid attacks on the electoral process. The Italians write that 25,000 TikTok accounts became highly active in supporting presidential candidate Călin Georgescu two weeks before the November 2024 elections. Additionally, they mention 797 pro-Călin Georgescu accounts created in 2016, which became very active shortly before the elections.

There were 5,005 Telegram accounts spreading propaganda in favor of Călin Georgescu, and $381,000 was spent on sponsoring this content, according to the report. The amount was spent starting from October 24, 2024.

The Italians also report direct cyberattacks on Romania’s electoral infrastructure until November 25, 2024, counting 85,000 attacks during the electoral process. These attacks originated from servers in 33 different countries but are attributed to the Kremlin.

The report also covers elections in Georgia and the upcoming ones in Germany, but its most detailed analysis focuses on Romania.

On March 3, Italy’s ambassador to Bucharest, Alfred Maria Durande, announced that foreign forces had interfered in last year’s Romanian presidential elections. He spoke of an “intense and deep manipulation” of the country’s electoral process.