Americans don’t seem to understand the gravity of hiding a grenade launcher and assault weapons in Romania. Here’s a short summary:
1. Firearms are banned here. I could be detained and charged just for carrying a loaded airsoft gun in public, a BB gun, a toy.
2. As a civilian/1 I’m not allowed to own a firearm, even with a permit. The most I could get is a permit for a rubber bullet pistol, but the process is tedious, and I don’t see the point in going through it.
3. Street violence is very low to nonexistent. But do you know what I carry /2

If you want to know in detail what exactly happened in Romania and how Russia tried to stage a coup without firing a single shot, here's the full story: Georgescu signed up legally and began promoting himself on TikTok, just as he had been doing for the past few years, /1 nothing unusual. However, right after the first round began, a week before voting day, a massive network of bots, numbering no fewer than 600,000(!), launched an extensive campaign for him, giving him an unfair and illegal advantage over his competitors. /2

To understand what’s happening in Romania today, it’s important to know a few things about the Iron Guard, a mystic-nationalist movement founded in 1927. It wasn’t a typical fascist movement, and many still hold it in high regard for its role in resisting the USSR, /1 establishing an armed resistance against the communist regime that lasted until 1970, enduring imprisonment and torture under communism, and for its influence among priests and intellectuals, many of whom were members or sympathizers. /2

I've never been a nationalist or a patriot (I tend to see the world through a wider lens) but during the last 2 years my country made me proud. We sent 15 military packages to Ukraine without announcing anything (if Zelensky hadn't said it we wouldn't have known), /1 we helped Ukrainians to export their cereals (60% of their exports are transiting RO), we managed to avoid a truck blocade while quietly working to increase the transit capability even more. I feel we took our revenge over the orcs for stolen territories, communism /2

I've been receiving a lot of questions about the current status of Romanian army, here is the naked truth. (more about cooperation with Poland and bigger regional context in the following thread).
Until 2014, our army was a bad joke, it only existed on paper, nothing more. /1 Corruption, bribery, nepotism, good old kickbacks were part of the daily life in our so called army, NATO didn't seem to care much because there were no visible threats, Russia was not regarded as an enemy anymore. Only after the invasion of Crimea, NATO woke up and pushed us /2

Why Romania didn't shoot down the drones (and it won't) although we have a sophisticated AD system perfectly able to do it? Why the President chose to deny the hit rather than looking into it? You won't like the answer but here it is: /1 There is a profound antipathy between Ukrainian and Romanian politicians, a beef that lasts for 80 years and continues today. During the golden days of USSR, we didn't border Russia itself, but Ukraine, a very important region of the USSR, /2

Intermarium the way I see it: this geopolitical construction can't exist without Ukraine because geographically it's right at the middle of it. Why and how this dream can become reality, realistically speaking:
1. Ukraine must win the war. /1 2. It's becoming clear that some Western countries do everything possible to prevent the CEE development, especially medium countries with huge growth potential like Poland and Romania. They would do anything to prevent Ukraine from joining the EU /2

I've listened to an interview with a Romanian Army general who comprehensively explained why holding the line in Bakhmut is extremely important for Ukrainians in spite of what some analysts might think. In this thread I will try to summarize what's at stake. /1 If the UA Army retreats from Bakhmut, the next defensive line would be very close to the administrative border of Luhansk. From here it won't be very difficult for the Russians to seize the entire Luhansk. Even if it might take many months, it won't matter that much to them /2

I had no idea twitter existed until April when I joined to read the news about the war in Ukraine. Then I realized I can do more than just reading. I grew up in a communist country and I had to experience something that most of you never had to:.. Daily power outages, hunger, cold, secret police who threw my grandma in jail for 10 years, lack of technologic development, etc. And the worst of them all: lack of personal freedom. Without it there is no innovation, creativity, contribution to society, education, development.