Maybe, but then again maybe not on the relay question. I once caught Romania aimed at *Japan*. There were deep rather than shallow fades involved in that catch, but it's doable given propagation. ... I just looked up that log, and it was the end of March last year, so the time frame sort of fits. Admittedly it was 25 meters... hmm.
Is Romania listed on 17510 at that time? If not, it might be a schedule goof or a relay. Hmm.