Romania Expels Serb for 'Spying for Russia'

Romania on Tuesday expelled a pro-Russian Serbian nationalist and banned him from entering the NATO member state for 15 years for spying on NATO military bases in southeastern Romania and showing an interest in obtaining classified information on military installations.

The Romanian Intelligence Service, SRI, said Bratislav Zivkovic, 42, a self-proclaimed commander of Serbia's Chetniks paramilitary forces, had fought in Crimea in 2014-2015 in support of Russian intervention there and had also been in the rebel-held parts of eastern Ukraine in Donetsk and Lugansk. He holds both Serbian and Russian nationality.

SRI spokesman Ovidiu Marincea said investigators had identified Zivkovic "showing interest in obtaining classified documents on critical infrastructure and national and allied military objectives located in south-east Romania with the intention of affecting our strategic partnerships.

"I want to stress that this Serbian citizen did not succeed in gathering any documents or classified information," Marincea said. "He poses a risk to Romania's national security," he added.

Zivkovic came to Romania four times in 2017, from Bulgaria or Ukraine, and every time he ended up in the Black Sea port of Constanta. He was, however, under SRI surveillance, and was caught photographing military radars on the Black Sea coast and trying to send the GPS location for the facilities.

He was also interested in the Mihail Kogalniceanu military base, where NATO aircraft are stationed, the SRI said.

Zivkovic wrote on Facebook that "reports by some NATO media in Serbia" were "shouting news about another 'Serbian-Russian spy' who undermined national security, this time in Romania.

"It is true that Romania has banned my entry for the next 15...