Italy expels Russian diplomats and arrests navy captain in spying case

Rome has expelled two Russian diplomats after an Italian naval captain was caught allegedly selling secret documents to a Russian defence official, in the latest spy scandal to rattle relations between Moscow and a member of the EU and Nato.

Italian police said a special operations unit had detained an unnamed “frigate captain” and “an officer of the Russian armed forces stationed in our country” on Tuesday evening during “a clandestine meeting between the two . . . after the Italian officer handed over classified documents in exchange for a sum of money.”

The Italian and the Russian were “both accused of serious crimes related to espionage and state security”, the police said, adding that their arrest was the result of joint efforts by Italy’s domestic intelligence agency and defence ministry.

"When the Russian ambassador to Italy was summoned to the foreign ministry, we expressed the Italian government's resolute protest and gave notice of the immediate expulsion of the two Russian officials involved in this extremely serious affair," Italian foreign minister Luigi Di Maio said on Wednesday.

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“I thank the intelligence service and all the state bodies that work for the security of our country every day.”

The Russian embassy in Rome confirmed “the detention of an employee of the office of the military attaché”.

"The circumstances of the incident are being investigated. We believe it is inappropriate to comment on what happened at the moment. In any case, we hope the incident will not affect bilateral relations between Russia and Italy," the embassy added.

Solid ties

Russia has maintained solid ties with Italy even as its links with the EU and Nato have been severely strained by issues ranging from its annexation of Crimea to the poisoning and imprisonment of opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

Earlier this month, the developers of Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine announced a deal to manufacturer it in Italy, and the country’s southern Campania region agreed last week to buy the vaccine if it secures EU safety clearance.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he had no details of the spy scandal, but expressed "hope that the very positive and constructive nature of Russian-Italian relations will continue".

Bulgaria expelled two Russian diplomats last week after arresting Bulgarian intelligence and defence ministry staff who allegedly passed confidential military and technological information to someone working at Moscow's embassy in Sofia.

Prosecutors said the spy ring disclosed secrets that could weaken EU, US and Nato security as well as that of Bulgaria, whose traditionally close ties with Russia have been shaken by a string of espionage revelations in recent years.

Russia has previously accused Washington of working to undermine its relations with friendly EU and Nato states, and Moscow reacted angrily this month when US president Joe Biden said he regarded Kremlin counterpart Vladimir Putin as "a killer".