EU-Wide Operation Busts Alleged Belarusian Spy Network

An extensive international counter-intelligence operation, coordinated by the EU’s judicial cooperation agency Eurojust, has reportedly dismantled a spy network operating for Belarus’s State Security Committee (KGB). The multinational effort culminated in the arrest of a former high-ranking Moldovan intelligence official in Romania and the expulsion of a Belarusian diplomat from the Czech Republic.

The operation, a collaboration between the authorities of Romania, the Czech Republic, and Hungary, with support from Moldovan prosecutors, targeted individuals accused of undermining national security. According to a statement from Eurojust, a key suspect was apprehended in Romania and is charged with treason. The individual, who formerly held a senior position in Moldova’s Security and Information Service, is accused of systematically passing state secrets to Belarusian intelligence agents during meetings held in Budapest.

This individual has been identified by Hungarian media as Alexandru Balan, a former deputy director of the Moldovan intelligence service who also holds Romanian citizenship. Reports indicate that Balan was dismissed from his post in 2019 and subsequently served as a liaison officer in Kyiv. After his mandate expired in 2021, he allegedly did not return to Moldova and later resided in Romania.

In a related development, the Czech government declared a Belarusian diplomat persona non grata, alleging the individual was a KGB officer working under diplomatic cover. “We will not tolerate the abuse of diplomatic cover for espionage,” the Czech Foreign Ministry stated. The incident has prompted calls from senior Czech officials, including Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský, for new restrictions on the movement of Russian and Belarusian diplomats within the EU’s Schengen Area to counter hostile activities.

The complex case, described as a “spy thriller,” reportedly involves other figures, including a Belarusian national living near the Polish border. This person, who works as a taxi driver and is also said to be a member of the Belarusian opposition movement, has come under the scrutiny of security services. As the investigation unfolds, authorities suggest that further details about the full scope of the intelligence network are likely to emerge.