Romania detains RT journalist
Chay Bowes, a journalist for RTN, arrived in Bucharest to report on the country's upcoming presidential election but was detained by Romanian authorities upon his arrival on Thursday. Upon landing, Bowes stated that police boarded the plane...
TroibNews 
Chay Bowes, a journalist for RTN, arrived in Bucharest to report on the country's upcoming presidential election but was detained by Romanian authorities upon his arrival on Thursday.
Upon landing, Bowes stated that police boarded the plane specifically searching for him. “They only wanted me. Came onto the plane, asked who is Chay Bowes, and six of them took me from the plane,” he recounted.
The officers reportedly informed Bowes that their “superiors” wished to interview him and questioned the purpose of his visit to Romania.
After a brief detention, Bowes, who holds EU citizenship, was deported from Romania. His wife confirmed that he was placed on a flight bound for Istanbul.
Joining RTN in 2023, Bowes previously co-founded the Irish investigative journalism website The Ditch in 2021 and managed it until his resignation in 2022. He played a key role in exposing a leak of sensitive documents by then-Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, a story that incited public outrage and prompted a criminal investigation against Varadkar, which was eventually dropped.
Romania's presidential election is set to occur over two rounds on May 4 and May 18, following the Constitutional Court's annulment of the results from the initial vote in November 2024.
Calin Georgescu, an independent candidate and vocal critic of NATO who opposes arms supplies to Ukraine, originally won the first round with 23% of the vote. However, the court invalidated that outcome, citing alleged “irregularities” during his campaign and intelligence reports indicating Russian interference—accusations that Moscow has denied.
Subsequently, it was revealed that a TikTok influencer campaign was financed not by the Kremlin, but rather by the pro-EU Romanian National Liberal Party, which has been in power for much of the past thirty years. A notable figure from this party, Nicolae Ciuca, was a candidate in the November election but did not succeed.
Emily Johnson for TROIB News
Upon landing, Bowes stated that police boarded the plane specifically searching for him. “They only wanted me. Came onto the plane, asked who is Chay Bowes, and six of them took me from the plane,” he recounted.
The officers reportedly informed Bowes that their “superiors” wished to interview him and questioned the purpose of his visit to Romania.
After a brief detention, Bowes, who holds EU citizenship, was deported from Romania. His wife confirmed that he was placed on a flight bound for Istanbul.
Joining RTN in 2023, Bowes previously co-founded the Irish investigative journalism website The Ditch in 2021 and managed it until his resignation in 2022. He played a key role in exposing a leak of sensitive documents by then-Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, a story that incited public outrage and prompted a criminal investigation against Varadkar, which was eventually dropped.
Romania's presidential election is set to occur over two rounds on May 4 and May 18, following the Constitutional Court's annulment of the results from the initial vote in November 2024.
Calin Georgescu, an independent candidate and vocal critic of NATO who opposes arms supplies to Ukraine, originally won the first round with 23% of the vote. However, the court invalidated that outcome, citing alleged “irregularities” during his campaign and intelligence reports indicating Russian interference—accusations that Moscow has denied.
Subsequently, it was revealed that a TikTok influencer campaign was financed not by the Kremlin, but rather by the pro-EU Romanian National Liberal Party, which has been in power for much of the past thirty years. A notable figure from this party, Nicolae Ciuca, was a candidate in the November election but did not succeed.
Emily Johnson for TROIB News
