Former Moldovan spy chief met Belarusian intelligence officers in Budapest
Authorities in Romania, Hungary, and Czechia, in collaboration with the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation (Eurojust), have arrested a former Moldovan intelligence official suspected of treason. The man allegedly passed state secrets to the Belarusian intelligence service, including during two covert meetings in Budapest in 2024 and 2025.
International cooperation uncovered the case
According to the Eurojust statement, the suspect regularly delivered sensitive information to officers of the Belarusian State Security Committee (KGB), posing a threat to Romania’s national security. These meetings were not only for handing over intelligence but also for receiving additional instructions and payment.
The investigation was made possible through coordinated efforts among multiple European law enforcement agencies. Prosecutors, police, and intelligence services from Romania, Hungary, and the Czech Republic shared evidence and quickly executed several European Investigation Orders. As a result of the operation, the suspect was apprehended and taken into custody in Romania on September 8.
Eurojust emphasised that the case illustrates the vital importance of EU-level cooperation in uncovering cross-border espionage. The suspect exploited the freedom of movement within the Schengen Area to maintain contact with foreign intelligence agents across multiple countries.
Alexandru Balan, former deputy of the SIS
Although the statement did not name the suspect, Telex reports that the man is Alexandru Balan, former Deputy Director of the Moldovan Intelligence and Security Service (SIS). Balan joined Moldovan intelligence in 2000 and served as Deputy Director, overseeing counterintelligence, from 2016 to 2019.
He was removed from his position in 2019 and assigned to Ukraine as a liaison officer, officially coordinating ties between Moldovan and Ukrainian intelligence. When his term ended in 2021, he was recalled to Moldova, but he defied the order and stayed an additional eight months in Kyiv. Upon his eventual return, Balan caused a drunk-driving accident, which led to his dismissal and loss of pension rights.
He later transitioned into the civilian sector, appearing in media and on social media as a security policy expert. He frequently criticised the SIS, calling it weak and incompetent, especially after the outbreak of the Russia–Ukraine war in 2022, during which Moldova faced heightened threats from Russia.
In the shadow of Belarus and Russia
Relations between Moldova and Belarus were previously stable but took a sharp downturn following the start of the war in Ukraine, as Belarus openly supported Russia’s aggression. In 2022, Moldova’s Foreign Ministry summoned the Belarusian ambassador after President Alexander Lukashenko claimed Western powers were pushing Europe toward military confrontation, potentially making Moldova a target.
Since the invasion, Moldova’s foreign policy has shifted decisively, condemning Russia and accelerating its EU integration efforts. In retaliation, Moscow imposed economic sanctions, banned the import of several Moldovan agricultural products, and launched extensive disinformation campaigns.
Moldovan authorities estimate that Russia spent hundreds of millions of euros to support pro-Russian political groups, carry out cyberattacks, exert economic pressure, and manipulate the media to influence elections.
Secret meetings in Budapest
Leaked information reveals that Balan travelled to Budapest twice, in the spring of last year and this year, to meet with Belarusian intelligence operatives. During these encounters, he allegedly shared classified state information and received directions for future activities.
The investigation has also identified a Belarusian man living in Poland, who works as a taxi driver near the Polish–Belarusian border. Authorities suspect he had connections with Belarusian intelligence, although the probe remains primarily focused on Balan’s activities.
Ongoing investigation
Legal proceedings against Balan began in Romania, but the investigation is continuing with international cooperation. Authorities are gathering more evidence and assessing which state secrets may have been transferred to Belarus at the Budapest meetings. The case is particularly sensitive, given Balan’s former high-ranking role and privileged access to classified intelligence.
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Hungary is the known hot spot for Russian intelligence inside Europe. Orban allowed the Russians to have access to Hungarian foreign ministry data for years while doing nothing. The foreign ministry knew what was going on but did nothing. Report: “The Contacts Directory which serves the systems of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and handles the identification and authorisation of users, the mail service, the file server service, and an unspecified number of workstations have been compromised, including administrator accounts with top level authorisation. The total impact rendered more than 4,000 workstations and over 930 servers unreliable,” Lt. Szabó. “Based on the attributes of the recent attacks, they can be linked to the APT 28 (Russian, GRU) and APT 29 (Russian, FSB v. SVR) groups.” The sources of 444 also said that the fact of the Russian attacks was so well known (by the Hungarian foreign service) that for a while, intelligence officers serving at embassies under diplomatic cover were not allowed to use their foreign service correspondence accounts.