On Sept. 16, Romanian prosecutors charged Georgescu, Potra, his son and different mercenaries with orchestrating a violent coup. According to Romanian prosecutors, Potra, Georgescu and their associates had allegedly deliberate to hijack a protest in assist of the previous presidential candidate and generate violence amid the cancellation of the primary spherical of the presidential election.
Officials said that the armed group sought to impress clashes and perform “violent actions of a subversive nature,” threatening nationwide safety and the “constitutional order.”
Georgescu, a NATO skeptic, gained the primary spherical of Romania’s November presidential election — with the election subsequently canceled on account of alleged irregularities and issues over international interference. He was later disqualified from the May rerun amid additional allegations of Russian involvement.
Romanian officers additionally warned that Moscow carried out in depth hybrid operations, together with cyberattacks and disinformation, geared toward disrupting the 2024 election.
