UM 0215

UM 0215 (Military Unit 0215, colloquially known as Doi și-un sfert, "Two and a quarter," or "Quarter past two") was a Romanian intelligence agency in the 1990s that was built upon the Bucharest branch of the Socialist Republic of Romania's Securitate.^[1] Its main purpose was to subvert the opposition,^[2] particularly during the Golaniad mass protests in Bucharest. The agency was also involved in the violent interventions against the protesters (the Mineriad).^[3]

Creation

Created in February 1990 with President

Romanian Revolution of 1989.^[4]

Activities

The agency received criticism from the media, as well as from Western governments and NGOs and journalists, for having ex-Securitate members and for its modus operandi.^[4] It collected information on politicians, journalists and trade union leaders, as well as Romanians abroad and foreigners in Romania.^[1] It was accused of being a political police.

Dissolution

In 1998, it was disbanded and, following background checks from a governmental commission, some of its agents were taken over by the newly created criminal intelligence agency,

Direcția Generală de Informații și Protecție Internă.^[4] Where UM 0215 had 1,440 staff members, the new agency had a sharply reduced 150 staff members.^[1]

The proposal to disband it completely was not taken into consideration because some feared that the agents would join the Greater Romania Party.^[2]