Romania officially condemned the "hostile cyber activities" carried out by groups controlled by Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), saying the country was among the targets of the operations. The statement came after the European Union and NATO denounced Russia's cyber ecosystem.

In a Facebook post on Monday, July 13, president Nicușor Dan said Romania "firmly condemns the hostile cyber activities carried out by groups controlled by the Russian Federation's Federal Security Service, which have targeted European Union member states, NATO allies and their partners, including our country.”

“Together with the European Union and NATO, we are sending a clear message: such attacks, targeting public institutions, critical infrastructure and sensitive information, are unacceptable," the president said. 

He added that the attacks are "part of a broader hybrid campaign aimed at undermining the stability of our democracies, fueling divisions within our societies and among allies, and testing the cohesion of the European Union and NATO.”

Dan said Romania would continue to work with its allies and partners to strengthen cybersecurity and "defend the values, security and unity of the Euro-Atlantic community.”

In a separate statement, the Foreign Ministry said Romania joined EU member states and NATO allies in condemning hostile cyber activities conducted by groups controlled by the FSB's Center 16, including APT TURLA. The ministry said Romania, like several other EU and NATO countries, had been targeted by the group. 

According to the ministry, the cyber operations are part of a broader ecosystem used by Russia that combines state institutions, intelligence services, cybercriminal groups, hacktivists, and private companies to conduct activities ranging from data theft to attacks on critical infrastructure and public services.

The ministry said these cyber activities form part of Russia's wider hybrid campaign against the EU, NATO, and their partners, aimed at undermining stability, creating divisions within allied countries, testing the cohesion of the two organizations, and discouraging support for Ukraine.

“We welcome the additional restrictive measures imposed by the European Union and the United Kingdom against entities and individuals facilitating the Russian Federation's hostile cyber activities. We call on the Russian Federation to cease these destabilizing actions and to comply with its international obligations,” the Romanian Foreign Ministry said.

“Romania remains in solidarity with the other EU member states and Allied countries affected by these hostile cyber activities and will continue to contribute to efforts undertaken at the Allied, European and international levels to prevent, deter and counter such destabilizing actions”

On Monday, the Council of the EU issued a statement formally attributing the activities of APT TURLA to the FSB's Center 16 and announced sanctions against nine individuals and four entities linked to Russia's cyber operations. 

NATO also released a statement condemning Russia's "persistent malicious cyber activities," saying they pose a threat to Allied security and reaffirming the alliance's commitment to strengthening its cyber defenses.

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

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