Italy ordered the expulsion of two Russian military attachés accused of espionage, with Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani condemning Moscow’s “serious and unacceptable interference”.Tajani identified the Russians as Ivan Gorbachev and Mikhail Vasilyevich Astakhov and said they had been ordered to leave Italy within three days.“Moscow continues to use hybrid warfare to attack the West and Italy. This interference is serious and unacceptable for Italian institutions and national security,” Tajani wrote on X.The expulsions came two days after police announced the arrest of two former Italian intelligence officers who, according to media reports, provided Russia with secrets about military aid to Ukraine.Rome police said one of the detained Italians, a 59-year-old former carabinieri officer, had accepted payments from a Russian broker and had information of interest “revealed to him through six sources, including four active-duty military personnel assigned to highly classified positions.”
Information passed to Russia
Media reports say Italy has handed over to Ukraine information on Italian-French air defense systems, SAMP/T and Aster missiles, which will be provided to Ukraine for testing this year. Russian officials also sought details about the Bulgarian NATO mission and Italian company Avio, which makes engines for drones and supersonic missiles.The 59-year-old suspect provided “thousands” of information over 12 years, the newspaper said, citing recordings of the suspect’s phone conversations. A lawyer for the former spy denied any treason charges and claimed the man, who is due to be formally questioned on Friday, had merely gathered publicly available information.Corriere della Sera said the 59-year-old also provided the identity of Italian counterintelligence agents aimed at spying on Russians.
Russia says it will respond
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Moscow would respond to Italy’s expulsion, RIA Novosti reported.Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said on Tuesday that the case was just the “tip of the iceberg” in Russia’s so-called “hybrid war” in Europe to invade Ukraine.In 2024, an Italian court sentenced a navy captain to prison after he was arrested for selling classified documents to the Russian embassy. Italy later expelled two Russian officials and Moscow retaliated by expelling an Italian diplomat.
