Ionut Moșteanu Claimed to Have Graduated from University of Bucharest, Despite Never Having Attended the School, Local Media Report
Romanian Defense Minister Ionut Moșteanu resigned over false claims in his resume. This is the second time in recent weeks that a NATO country close to Russia has been forced to replace its military chief, Politico reports.
“Romania and Europe are under attack from Russia. Our national security must be protected at all costs. I do not want discussions about my education and the mistakes I made many years ago to distract from the difficult mission of those who now lead the country,” he said.
According to local media, Moșteanu stated in his official CV that he graduated from the Ateneum University in Bucharest, although he never attended the institution. He also added to his CV the Faculty of Automation at the Polytechnic University of Bucharest, although he dropped out.
Moșteanu’s resignation, just months after taking office, comes after Lithuania dismissed Dovile Săcaliene as defense minister over a dispute over the Baltic state’s defense budget – and at a time when Europe is debating how to respond to increasing Russian hybrid attacks.
According to the Romanian government, Economy Minister Radu Miruca is expected to take over the defense ministry on an interim basis.
Moșteanu’s resignation comes at a time when Romania is facing regular violations of its airspace by Russian drones. Bucharest is also just 48 hours away from the deadline for EU countries to submit to the European Commission their plans for spending funds from the European SAFE program for arms purchases. Romania is expected to be the second largest beneficiary of the scheme, with €16.6 billion set to be received.
Illustrative Photo by Longxiang Qian: https://www.pexels.com/photo/low-angle-photography-of-building-1718337/
We acknowledge The European Times for the information.
