A Romanian citizen accused of sending the Russian embassy in Bucharest photos of Romanian or NATO military sites was sentenced by the Bucharest Court of Appeal to five years and six months in prison for the crime of treason in a prolonged form, Agerpres reports.
Alexandru Piscan was detained in pre-trial detention in May, with his measure being extended several times.
According to the Directorate for the Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT), since 2022 the man has been monitoring Romanian or NATO military sites located near the eastern Romanian city of Tulcea, collecting military-related information and taking photos of combat military equipment and personnel movements in the area of the border with Ukraine. He subsequently handed over these materials to diplomats from the Russian Embassy in Bucharest.
According to the Romanian Penal Code, the crime of treason is punishable by 10 to 20 years in prison, but Alexandru Pişcan received a reduced sentence after pleading guilty during the trial.
A day after Pişcan's arrest, the Romanian Foreign Ministry announced that the Romanian authorities had decided to declare a diplomat from the Russian Embassy in Bucharest persona non grata on Romanian territory for activities that contradict the provisions of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, the Hotnews website reminds.