Romania Names Belarusian KGB Officer Contacted by Recruited Ex-Deputy Director of Moldovan Special Service

Alexandru Bălan. Photo from his social media.

According to the criminal case files, the former deputy head of Moldova's special service maintained operational contact with Belarusian KGB officer Uladzimir Varazhbytov, writes the Romanian website Digi24.ro.

Varazhbytov's name is not mentioned in open sources in Belarus. It is reported that the Belarusian agent was supported by three other KGB officers, and he had previously been involved in managing another spy, Uladzislau Nadzeyka, who operated in Poland.

Also known is Bălan's chosen method of communication with Belarusian KGB officers: instead of sending emails that could be intercepted during transmission, the participants jointly accessed the same email account and wrote messages in the "Drafts" folder, effectively not sending them.

Judicial sources state that the messages were stored in the shared account, visible to both parties, but not transmitted via email. This method, used by spy agencies worldwide for years, significantly complicates the work of investigators. After the arrest of the Moldovan spy, the email account was deleted from Belarus.

Who is Alexandru Bălan

Alexandru Bălan, former deputy director of the Information and Security Service (SIS) of Moldova, arrested in Romania for espionage on behalf of the Republic of Belarus, was under investigation in the Republic of Moldova in at least two criminal cases.

The 47-year-old Bălan was very active on social media after being dismissed from SIS, criticizing the activities of Moldovan special services, for example, for untimely intervention and failure to take measures against Russian influence in elections in the Republic of Moldova. Over the past two years, he held at least four press conferences and was invited to several television shows as an expert.

At one of the press conferences, he stated that from 2019-2022, SIS might not have prevented the entry into Moldova of high-ranking "foreign intelligence emissaries" who participated in strengthening paramilitary structures in separatist Transnistria and advised politicians in Tiraspol.

Following his arrest on September 8, 2025, at the Romanian Timișoara Airport, the Romanian Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) stated that it suspects Bălan of personal contacts with a foreign state — the Republic of Belarus — and of selling secret information to it.

Bălan worked in Moldovan law enforcement agencies for over 20 years, and from 2016-2018, he held the position of Deputy Director of SIS. According to his own testimony, he was repeatedly recognized and awarded the "For Combat Merit" medal. In public appearances, referring to himself as an SIS Colonel, Bălan claimed to coordinate the "main operational levels" of the Moldovan special services, including the Anti-Terrorist Center, and to manage complex special operations, "some of which are of historical significance."

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