Two Russia-linked figures are trying to prevent the extradition of Romanian-French mercenary Horațiu Potra, who is being held in Dubai on charges of plotting a coup in Romania, The Guardian reported Wednesday.
Potra, a former French Foreign Legion soldier and founder of private military firms active in Africa, was detained at Dubai International Airport on Sept. 24 while preparing to fly to Moscow.
Romanian prosecutors accuse him of planning to overthrow the government and install far-right politician Călin Georgescu, whose 2024 election victory was annulled by the Constitutional Court amid allegations of Russian interference.
Igor Spivak, head of the Moscow-linked Russian Middle Eastern Society, and Igor Kalinin, a Moldovan politician under Western sanctions, are leading efforts to stop Potra’s extradition, The Guardian reported.
A source with direct knowledge of the situation told the newspaper that Russian authorities had “given the green light” to the two men to intervene.
Romania’s prosecutor general told local media that Potra may have been seeking asylum in Russia.
But the full scale of Moscow’s involvement in the affair remains unclear, The Guardian said.
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