Wednesday, March 31, 2021

Italy expels Russians after spies ‘caught red-handed’ – EURACTIV.com

Italy expels Russians after spies ‘caught red-handed’


Italy expelled two Russian officials on Wednesday (31 March) after an Italian navy captain was allegedly caught red-handed selling secret documents to a Russian military officer.



The frigate captain was arrested on spying charges after a “clandestine meeting” with the Russian late on Tuesday in Rome, according to a police statement.

Special operations police stopped both men but only the Italian was arrested. He is accused of passing on “confidential documents” in exchange for money.

The Russian, an embassy official, avoided custody thanks to diplomatic immunity, police said.

Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio summoned Russia’s ambassador to Rome, Sergey Razov, on Wednesday morning to lodge a formal protest. The diplomat was notified of “the immediate expulsion of the two Russian officials involved in this very serious affair”, Di Maio said.

According to La Repubblica newspaper, the navy captain worked at the office of Chief of the Defence Staff and had access “to a wide range of documents” concerning both Italian defence and NATO activities.

Corriere della Sera newspaper said the captain was paid €5,000 in cash by the Russian.

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 Las relaciones entre Italia y Rusia han sufrido hoy un importante revés, con un caso de espionaje sin precedentes: la detención de un oficial ruso "sorprendido de manera flagrante" en "un intercambio de información militar clasificada" con un capitán de fragata de la Marina italiana, detenido y acusado de "graves delitos relativos a la seguridad del Estado".

1 comment:

  1. (Tasnim) – Russia’s ambassador to Rome, Sergey Razov, has been invited to Italy's Foreign Ministry after a staff member of the Russian diplomatic mission was detained in connection with an espionage case, the ministry stated on Wednesday.

    "The ministry’s Secretary-General Elisabetta Belloni has summoned Russian Ambassador Sergey Razov at the instruction of Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio," according to the statement, TASS reported.

    Earlier, the command of the Special Operations Group (ROS), part of the Italian Carabinieri (national gendarmerie), reported that an Italian serviceman and a Russian officer working in the Italian capital had been detained upon a warrant of Rome’s prosecutors.

    According to the statement, the Italian citizen has been placed in custody while checks have been launched to confirm the diplomatic status of the foreign citizen. The ROS specified that the detention took place on Tuesday when confidential documents were being handed over in exchange for money.

    "Those detained are a Navy captain and an officer working for the Russian embassy, who are accused of espionage and posing a threat to national security," the statement said.

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