Italy expels two Russian diplomats accused of spying

Italy on Thursday ordered the expulsion of two Russian military attachés following a major counter-espionage investigation that authorities say uncovered a suspected spy network operating within the country's defense and security institutions.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani described the alleged activities as "serious and unacceptable acts of interference," saying they posed a direct threat to Italy's national security and its Western allies.

According to Tajani, the Secretary General of Italy's Foreign Ministry summoned the Russian ambassador to formally notify Moscow of the decision. The two military attachés, identified by Italian authorities as Ivan Petrovich Gorbachev and Mikhail Vasilyevich Astakhov, have been given three days to leave the country.

"Moscow continues to use its hybrid weapons to attack the West and Italy," Tajani said in a statement posted on X.

Russia's Foreign Ministry said Moscow would respond to Italy's decision.

The expulsions come two days after prosecutors in Rome announced the arrest of two former Italian intelligence figures as part of the investigation.

Authorities allege that a 59-year-old former Carabinieri officer, who previously served within Italy's intelligence community, acted as an intermediary in passing classified information to a Russian intelligence operative working in Italy under diplomatic cover.

The investigation, launched in May 2025, involved digital surveillance, physical monitoring, and tactical operations carried out with support from the Carabinieri's elite GIS special intervention unit, according to judicial and police sources.

Five additional suspects remain under investigation, including four active-duty members of the Italian military who allegedly supplied confidential information to the network.

Italian media reported that the compromised or targeted material included classified information related to an Italian-French air defense system and missile defense networks intended for Ukraine, intelligence on a NATO mission in Bulgaria, industrial data involving Italian aerospace company Avio, and the identities of Italian counter-espionage personnel monitoring Russian diplomats in Rome.

Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto praised investigators for dismantling the alleged network, describing the case as evidence of the ongoing nature of modern espionage.

"This hybrid war is the tip of a gigantic iceberg, comprising external enemies and internal traitors who are prepared to sell out their nation for money, power, or personal gain," Crosetto said.

The case recalls a 2021 espionage incident in Rome, when Italian Navy Captain Walter Biot was caught selling NATO documents to a Russian embassy official. The incident led to the expulsion of Russian diplomats, while Biot was later sentenced to nearly 30 years in prison.