Italy expels two Russian military attaches following espionage probe
Rome, July 10
Italy has ordered the expulsion of two military attaches from the Russian Federation's embassy in Rome, citing their direct involvement in an espionage network uncovered by a recent investigation.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani on Thursday (local time) announced the decision in a post on X, condemning the operation as a "serious and unacceptable" act of interference against Italian institutions and national security.
"The Italian Government has decided to expel two military attaches from the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Italy, responsible for the espionage activities that emerged in the investigation by the Rome Public Prosecutor's Office," he wrote.
He added that the two diplomats, namely Ivan Petrovich Gorbachev and Mikhail Vasilyevich Astakhov, have been given three days to leave the country.
"The Secretary General of the Farnesina has just informed the Russian Ambassador in Rome that Ivan Petrovich Gorbachev and Mikhail Vasilyevich Astakhov must leave Rome within 3 days," he added.
Emphasising the government's firm stance against foreign subversion, he wrote, "Moscow continues to use its hybrid weapons to attack the West and Italy. A serious and unacceptable interference for the Italian Institutions and for national security."
Meanwhile, Russia's ambassador to Italy, Sergei Paramonov, said the Italian foreign ministry "wants to limit as much as possible Russia's influence in Italy" by expelling diplomats, Euronews reported.
The expulsions follow a high-profile counter-espionage investigation by the Rome Public Prosecutor's Office, which led to the arrest of two former Italian intelligence officials earlier this week.
On Tuesday, citing Rome police, Euronews reported that one of the detained Italians in the investigation, a 59-year-old former intelligence officer, had been paid by a Russian handler and "disclosed to him information of interest through six sources, including four serving military personnel assigned to posts marked by a high level of confidentiality."
Reports indicate the stolen data included classified details on Italian-French air defense systems (SAMP/T) intended for Ukraine, information regarding NATO missions in Bulgaria, and proprietary industrial data from aerospace firm Avio that makes motors for drones and supersonic missiles, Euronews reported.
Euronews reported that the Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said that the case was "just the tip of the iceberg" in Russia's so-called "hybrid war" in Europe as it pursues its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Following the Italian government's decision to expel the two Russian officials, Moscow expelled an Italian diplomat in retaliation, Euronews reported.
Euronews reported, citing the state news agency RIA Novosti, that the Russian foreign ministry said on Thursday that Moscow would react with "an appropriate response."
— ANI
Reader Comments
🇮🇳 Western nations playing their power games again. They expel Russian diplomats, Russia expels theirs. Meanwhile, countries like India get caught in the middle. We should focus on our own security and not blindly support either side in this Cold War 2.0.
Interesting how Italy caught them red-handed with classified data on air defense systems for Ukraine. Shows the lengths Russia will go to undermine NATO. As an Indian, I worry about similar espionage targeting our defense deals with Russia. We need stronger counter-intelligence.
Typical tit-for-tat diplomacy. Italy expels two, Russia expels one. This is why India should maintain strategic autonomy. We need to balance relations with both Russia and the West without getting entangled in their disputes.
"Tip of the iceberg" - that's what worries me. Espionage is everywhere. India should learn from this and strengthen our cybersecurity and intelligence sharing with friendly nations. We can't afford to be complacent with so many global powers eyeing our technology.
Russia's response is predictable but weak - expelling one Italian diplomat for two of theirs? Shows they know they were caught. Italy did the right thing. India must also be firm when our diplomats are targeted abroad.
R Rohit L