Two French researchers, sentenced to 8 months in prison after throwing explosive devices at the courtyard of the Russian Consulate in Marseille /One of them is of Romanian origin

Two researchers from France's National Center for Scientific Research were sentenced Thursday, February 27, to eight months in prison for throwing explosive devices at the Russian consulate in Marseille, according to the report BFM TV.

The two threw plastic bottles filled with liquid nitrogen at the Russian consulate in Marseille on Monday, February 24.

The researchers were tried before the court of first instance in Marseille. During the trial, the two men justified their actions by explaining that they wanted to „draw the attention” to the situation in Ukraine.

„We were stupid”

The researchers also emphasized their intention not to hurt anyone. „We wanted to make noise, we didn't want to hurt anyone or do any harm”, they said. „We didn't think about the consequences, we were stupid, we were completely overwhelmed by the situation, we didn't measure the diplomatic consequences”, they added.

The two men claimed that they wished to surrender to the authorities as soon as possible after their act. „We went to the pro-Ukrainian demonstration in the evening for the police to catch us”, they explained. Once arrested, they admitted their actions in police custody.

One of the two is Vasile H., a Romanian-born doctor in materials physics. A shy, curly-haired, gray-haired engineer immediately admits that he is perfectly aware of the facts, but insists that he did not want to hurt anyone's feelings. „I am quite sensitive to the current climate. The elections in the United States are not going in the right direction. George and I often talk and we decided we had to do something for February 24”, explains the researcher, quoted by Le Figaro.

Liquid nitrogen in a thermos

„I wanted to make some noise. He came up with the idea of nitrogen because he is a very good” physicist, adds Vasile H., revealing the details of the operation. Early in the morning, the two went to the CNRS to get liquid nitrogen, a product stored at -196 degrees Celsius which, poured into a closed bottle, turns into gas and causes everything to accumulate pressure „like the air in the wheel of a bicycle”. „You can't buy liquid nitrogen in stores, it's too volatile. We went to pick him up from the lab that morning and put everything in a thermos”, Georges S. added very seriously.

The two accomplices then boarded a car and headed to the Russian consulate, being equipped with masks, gloves and plastic soda bottles to pour the chemical element into the car. Video surveillance footage used by police then shows Georges S. and Vasile H. going in two different directions with „explosives” in their hands. „I threw a bottle, but it fell next door at the neighbor's house. I ran and heard nothing more. I thought I did it for nothing, he says. „I marked the place on Google Maps to be able to throw the projectile on a roof. If he had hit someone, he could have had a very severe headache”, adds Georges S..

At least two bangs followed by „fum alb” were recorded and heard by witnesses at the scene, including a neighbor of the diplomatic building who found smoky debris in his property. In the immediate aftermath, about thirty firefighters were mobilized alongside police and defuse experts. Consulate staff were isolated in its rooms throughout the morning, and sources reported the presence of „Molotov” cocktails near the building. Moscow quickly denounced what it considered to be a „terroristattack”, while the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned „any attack on the security of diplomatic premises”.

When Vasile H. and Georges S. became aware of these disturbances, they began to realize the significance of their actions. Returning to the CNRS, the nanomaterials researcher felt remorse. „We could have said to ourselves: what's next? But we didn't ask ourselves that question beforehand”, admits Georges S.. „I have no hostility to the Russian people, only to their government. We did not evaluate or appreciate the diplomatic impact that this” would have, adds Vasile H.

Suspecting that the police were on their trail, the researchers went to a demonstration in support of Ukraine at the end of the day to be interrogated. „I suspected we'd get caught. After that, I told myself that I was really very stupid”, admits shamefully Georges S., whose girlfriend is of Ukrainian origin.

„But you know diplomats are protected in France. It is sacred territory that cannot be touched. Have you not thought about the consequences of your actions, despite your above-average intelligence?”, asks an investigator, who confesses that he was surprised to see two individuals “with no antecedents” and no record. „We must not stand impassive in the face of violence”, Vasile H timidly replied.. Placed in police custody, they narrowly avoided being remanded in custody, which allowed them to appear free before the court.

These small concessions were far from to the liking of the Russian consul general, seated next to the defendants. Through an interpreter, he reaffirmed the „terrorist” nature of the act. „They acted as a group, we know they were well prepared, identifying the substance beforehand and leaving their mobile phones at home. The consequences of this act could have been more serious”, the translator said.

„Do not attack representatives of a foreign country. This is an absolute taboo in international and diplomatic relations. This taboo has been largely breached”, the prosecutor charged. „Facts are not dangerous (...) We are dealing with researchers without history, who have opinions and want to express them. But that's the wrong way to proceed”, he pointed out, calling for a one-year prison sentence to be served with an electronic bracelet.

„They are not terrorists, activists or delinquents. They see things that make them uneasy. The general situation caused them anxiety”, argued lawyer Rami Chahine, who recommended a fine and reimbursement for the damage caused. The court sentenced the two researchers to eight months in prison with a warrant to bring them, which will be adapted in the next five days to house arrest with an electronic bracelet. Therefore, Vasile H. and Georges S. will go to prison this Thursday evening. A new hearing will be held on 23 January 2026 to discuss civil interests, namely the compensation of the Russian Consulate and the CNRS.

VIDEO Governor Ron DeSantis announces that Florida is not welcoming Andrew and Tristan Tate who arrived there from Romania on a private plane

After information emerged regarding the departure of the Tate brothers to America, more specifically to Florida, the governor of the state, Ron DeSantis, said that the two are not welcome. Ron DeSantis is the Republican who ran against Trump in the party's primary election, in 2024. He noted that it had not been announced that the Tate brothers would arrive in his state and that he had learned from the press.

„No: Florida is not a place where you are welcome with this type of behavior”, DeSantis said, stating that Attorney General James Uthmeier is now looking at what levers he has at hand and what jurisdictions to deal with.

„I don't know how it came to this. We weren't involved. We weren't notified. We found out through the media”, DeSantis also said.

We remind you, the Tate brothers left Romania directly for Florida on Thursday at five o'clock in the morning with a private plane from Băneasa airport, airport sources told G4Media.ro. Andrew Tate was supposed to be under house arrest in the case concerning the alleged sexual exploitation of 34 women, after the Bucharest Court of Appeal admitted DIICOT's appeal. The Trump administration has pressured Romania to lift the restrictions of the Tate brothers, the Financial Times reported ten days ago.

The Tate brothers meanwhile arrived at Florida Airport, where they were allegedly stopped. Interviewed by local media, they stated that Ron DeSantis should resign. News being updated

SOURCES The Tate brothers left Romania directly for Florida on a private plane from Baneasa airport at five in the morning /Ten days ago Trump's special envoy intervened with the foreign minister in their favor

The Tate brothers left Romania directly for Florida on Thursday at five o'clock in the morning on a private plane from Băneasa airport, airport sources told G4Media.ro. Andrew Tate should have been under house arrest in the case concerning the alleged sexual exploitation of 34 women, after the Bucharest Court of Appeal upheld DIICOT's appeal. The Trump administration has pressured Romania to lift the restrictions of the Tate brothers, the Financial Times reported ten days ago.

It is unclear by the time the news aired whether the restrictions were lifted in the case of the Tate brothers and if so, who lifted them.

At the time, Foreign Minister Emil Hurezeanu confirmed to G4Media that there was a discussion in which US Special Envoy Richard Grenell mentioned the Tate brothers and his interest in them.

In fact, Richard Grenell reminded the Financial Times of his posts on X, the former Twitter, supporting the Tate brothers, accused in Romania of human trafficking, continuous rape and the establishment of a criminal group. They face a similar series of charges in the UK, and a week ago the first such charges appeared in the US as well.

Hurezeanu stated that there was a discussion in one of the halls of the conference, when the Romanian Foreign Minister initiated a dialogue with Trump's envoy to find out if Grenell intends to visit Romania.

”<<I'm interested, as you well know, in the fate of the Tate>> brothers, he replied. And so. Then, I asked him for another meeting because I wanted to know more about what he wants to do, what his intentions are in relation to Romania, but this meeting did not take place, Emil Hurezeanu told G4Media, emphasizing that the intervention of Richard Grenell about the Tate brothers left the impression of a continuous interest of Donald Trump's special envoy.

Background

The Financial Times reports that Andrew and his brother Tristan Tate, who have dual US and British citizenship, ”have become a famous cause in right-wing social media after being arrested in Romania in 2022 and accused of human trafficking, sexual abuse and money laundering, as well as initiating an organized criminal group”. The Tate brothers deny the allegations.

The Tate family case was first brought up by US officials in a phone call with the Romanian government and was then followed up by Trump's special envoy Richard Grenell when he met with the Romanian foreign minister at the Munich Security Conference, according to three people familiar with the matter quoted by the Financial Times.

A fourth person stated that the return of the brothers' passports had been requested and that they should be allowed to travel while awaiting the completion of legal proceedings.

The Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Emil Hurezeanu, refused to comment on the exchange of words with Grenell. His spokesman said Hurezeanu initiated the meeting and that the two „have known each other for a long time, as both were ambassadors in Berlin during the first Trump presidency.

The spokesperson did not comment on their specific discussions, but said:

„Romanian courts are independent and operate on the basis of the law, there is a fair trial”, the Financial Times also reports.

Grenell stated that he had „no substantial conversation” with Hurezeanu, who „saw me in the hol” in Munich and „asked for a meeting”:

„I support the Tate brothers, as evidenced by my publicly available tweets”, he added.

This month, Grenell wrote on X that Romania was „the latest example” of how funds paid by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) were „used as a weapon against people and politicians who were not woke (radicals of the left, ed.)”.

The Financial Times also points out that Tristan Tate appealed to supporters to find out if USAID money arrived in Romania to finance investigations by apparently referring to his and Andrew Tate's cases.

The Tate brothers have millions of followers online in „manosphere” – online platforms aimed at young men who promote male superiority and reject the feminism – that played a role in Trump's re-election.

Tucker Carlson, a Trump ally and sympathizer of dictator Vladimir Putin and former Fox anchor, has done interviews with both brothers

Tristan Tate boasted X in November of his and his brother's role in the U.S. election, claiming that „million young people in Europe and the U.S. have a healthy right-wing approach to politics, which they would NOT have had if Andrew Tate had never appeared on their phone screens”.

The UK is also seeking the brothers' extradition after Bedfordshire Police obtained an arrest warrant as part of an investigation into allegations of rape and human trafficking. A Romanian court decided last year that they can be extradited after there is a final decision in their case in Romania.

DIICOT prosecutors claim that brothers Andrew and Tristan Tate and members of the alleged criminal group formed around them recruited, starting in 2015, 34 women whom they forced to produce pornographic materials that were broadcast for a fee on profile platforms.

”The material benefits thus obtained by the defendants from the sexual exploitation of the victims were valued at over 2,800,000 US dollars and 887,000 token”, say the investigators from the fight against organized crime.

In August 21, 2024, DIICOT reported that brothers Tristan and Andrew Tate were detained for committing the crimes of forming an organized criminal group, human trafficking, trafficking minors, sexual intercourse with a minor, money laundering, influencing statements and favoring the perpetrator.

The Bucharest Court of Appeal returned the file to the prosecutor's office, for the restoration of the criminal investigation, on December 19, 2024.

Gepard systems and F-16 planes get „green light” in the Senate! Romania has adopted the law and will be able to shoot down Russian drones that violate the territory

A little while ago, the two laws that include regulations regarding the employment of drones that violate the Romanian national territory passed the Senate. According to DefenseRomania sources, AUR left the hall at the time of the vote.

If it will not be attacked at the CCR - without AUR there is no possibility - since 50 parliamentarians are needed for such an action, the law will be promoted in the Official Gazette. Then promulgated by interim president Ilie Bolojan and enters into force. It remains to be seen what game GOLD will make next, as POT and SOS have only 44 signatures together.

From this moment the law can be challenged in 5 days at the CCR.

The law was originally passed by the Chamber of Deputies last week, creating major controversy after the AUR, POT and SOS parties voted against it. Meanwhile, AUR announced its position by abstaining.

If AUR left the room at the time of the Senate vote, POT and SOS also voted in the Senate against the law.

The law does not engage Romania in any military conflict, on the contrary, it allows the Army to be able to engage drones that enter the airspace of our country and endanger Romanian citizens.

A lot of misinformation and fake news about the bill that allows the Army to shoot down Russian drones that violate Romania's airspace

Those who opposed the law that also regulates the concept of transfer of authority in a NATO context accuse the law of unconstitutionality and betrayal of national interests

And yet, we are talking about a common practice within NATO. Transfer of authority to a foreign commander is common practice within the Alliance for conducting allied operations and missions.

The procedure of the transfer of authority has been regulated in our legislation for more than 14 years for the participation of the armed forces in missions and operations outside the territory of the Romanian state.

Another gross misinformation is that the law gives participating military forces the right to use munitions of war. In other words, the Army represses protests with weapons of war.

This form of interpretation of the legislative text is manipulation without any connection to objective reality. The law does not allow the use of weapons against civilians and the conditions are strictly defined, in accordance with Romanian legislation and employment rules, which are necessarily based on legal, political and military grounds

It is as clear as possible that these forms of manipulation are part of the pattern of disinformation campaigns, which try to induce a climate of panic and weakening of trust in institutions and the ability to fulfill their constitutional missions. Including in the Romanian Army.

1,000 sturgeon saplings released in the Danube, in Mehedinți county /WWF: „Events like this remind us all that every effort matters when the goal is to save extremely valuable species present on our planet from extinction since the time of dinosaurs” Another 1,000 sturgeon saplings were released into the Danube. Launch that took place on Tuesday in the Port Gruia area, Mehedinți county, within the LIFEBoat 4 Sturgeons project. The event marks an important step in the conservation efforts of these endangered species, informs the NGO WWF-Romania (World Wide Fund for Nature).

As part of the action, approximately 1000 sturgeon chicks were released, 500 each from the species nisetru (Acipenser gueldenstaedtii) and trout (Acipenser stellatus). Each specimen bears special identification markings, facilitating further monitoring and research.

An international project to save sturgeons The launch is part of the LIFEBoat 4 Sturgeons project („LIFEBoat to save 4 species of Danube sturgeon threatened with extinction”), carried out by WWF-Romania (World Wide Fund for Nature) in partnership with the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Regions and Water Management of Austria, Vienna Community, WWF Ukraine, WWF Bulgaria, Revivo, MATE and Plant Science and Biodiversity Centre SAS. The project runs from 2022-2030.

The aim of this project is to reduce threats to sturgeon, fish on the verge of extinction in the Lower Danube and the Black Sea basin. Among the factors endangering these species are illegal fishing, trade in caviar and sturgeon meat products, as well as the disruption of migration routes and the destruction of natural habitats.

A joint effort to protect sturgeons „We launched today in the Danube, with each of the 1000 baby sturgeon, our hopes for the survival of these precious species. The LIFEBoat 4 Sturgeons project is a large one, which impresses by focusing the efforts of specialists and authorities from the participating countries. Everything to increase the chances of sturgeons to remain, in the future, among the oldest species on the planet that have survived time”, said Cristina Munteanu, National Coordinator of Sturgeon Projects, WWF-Romania.

The event benefited from the support of the Romanian authorities, with representatives of the National Agency for Fisheries and Aquaculture (ANPA), the Environmental Guard, the Environmental Protection Agency (APM) Mehedinți, the National Administration of Natural Protected Areas (ANANP), the Romanian Police and the Border Police present.

Barbara Bendandi, WWF-Romania Conservation Director, emphasized the importance of this moment: „Events like this one today, when we launched 1000 baby sturgeon in the race for species survival, have an extremely important significance. I remind us all that every effort counts when the objective is to save from extinction some extremely valuable species, present on our planet since the time of dinosaurs”.

Live gene bank – a long-term solution

A major objective of the LIFEBoat 4 Sturgeons project is to create a live gene bank for the four remaining sturgeon species in the Danube basin: morun, nisetru, trout and cega. Through this approach, the specialists aim to strengthen the populations through successive restockings with chickens from the farms specially developed within the project.

Chief Rheimetall is one of the few European leaders with vision and courage, able to give the Russians a very firm response. It was not for nothing that Moscow tried to assassinate him last year. An analysis by Politico paints a bleak picture of the German economy, badly hit by high labor and energy costs, problems to which have been added the complications of the trade war with China.

The car industry fueled Germany's rise as Europe's economic power. Now the same sector is in crisis and dragging down the entire German economy.

The causes of the perfect storm?

Along with high production costs, we can say that the green transition has suffocated Germany.

Automakers are facing a shift to less complex electric vehicles, where Germany does not control crucial battery technology, while aggressive competition from Chinese rivals is close to putting the great German auto industry on the hook.

Another blow could come from US President Donald Trump, who is threatening tariffs that would upset the free trade system behind Germany's export-led economic success.

The moment somehow resembles the Nokia scenario, when the Finnish communications giant definitively lost the battle with its more agile competitors Apple and Samsung.

This time, the situation could be different, especially since the German car industry is the backbone of the country, and the politician has every interest in saving it. Where salvation could come from Rheinmetall, Europe's largest ammunition manufacturer, plans to retool two of its car factories in Germany to produce mainly defense equipment, Reuters reports.

While some European political leaders are showing their limits (see the dramatic-embarrassing scene at the end of the Munich conference), Rheinmetall's Director-General, Armin Papperger, is acting swiftly.

The factories in Berlin and Neuss where the company currently manufactures automobile parts, will become part of Rheinmetall's weapons and ammunition division and will serve as so-called hybrid factories, ensuring that automobile production can continue.

„Above all, factories will benefit from the industrial power that Rheinmetall Group has as a major supplier of military equipment, as well as the high demand from customers in Germany and around the world”, the German group said.

The company also stated that no explosives will be processed in these two facilities, but they will produce protective and mechanical components for military use.

LEOPARD 2 and Puma will be produced in a former train factory Rheinmetall's decision is the second such measure in just one month, after the German subsidiary of conglomerate KNDS announced that it would take over from French train manufacturer Alstom a factory in eastern Germany that now produces rolling stock.

KNDS, owned in equal holdings by Germany's Wegmann & Co GmbH and the French state, plans to manufacture military equipment there, including the LEOPARD 2 battle tank and the PUMA infantry fighting vehicle.

The German car industry, a toxic relationship with China

Germany's auto giants have grown rich in China, entering the market decades ago when domestic car sales were just starting to rise; their Asian success has helped support higher wages at home.

This trend reversed in 2018, when China's new car market contracted for the first time since the 1990s, falling 3%. It fell 8% more in 2019 before the pandemic halted global markets.

Nowadays, the market shares of the three major German automakers are declining as Chinese rivals introduce cheaper electric vehicles that often have better technology.

Footage of the russian drone attack on port of Ismail/Ukraine in summer of 2024 as seen from the Romanian shore of Danube.