Romania has expelled a pro-Russian Serbian nationalist and banned him from entering the NATO country for 15 years after he allegedly attempted to obtain classified information on military installations and infrastructure, the SRI intelligence service said on November 14.
Bratislav Zivkovic, 42, is a commander of Serbia's Chetnik paramilitary group and joined the pro-Russian forces in Crimea in 2014-15.
The SRI had identified Zivkovic as "showing interest in obtaining classified documents on critical infrastructure and national and allied military objectives located in southeastern Romania with the intention of affecting our strategic partnerships," spokesman Ovidiu Marincea said.
Marincea said Zivkovic had been caught while taking photos of military radar on the Black Sea shore and trying to transmit their GPS coordinates.
Marincea said Zivkovic did not manage to obtain any documents or classified information. He poses a risk to Romania's national security, Marincea added.
Russia is Serbia's traditional ally, and Belgrade is also heavily dependent on Russian energy.
The Chetnik paramilitary group gained notoriety in the 1990s when its units committed atrocities against non-Serbs in Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo.
