On July 6, 2026, Italy expelled two Russian Embassy employees, military attachés Ivan Petrovich Gorbachev and Mikhail Vasilyevich Astakhov, on suspicion of espionage. Both men were identified by The Insider as officers of Russia’s military intelligence agency, the GRU. Astakhov, 56, had made at least four trips on the Moscow-Rome route from 2015 to 2017, while Gorbachev, 47, had frequently traveled to Italy and Finland. Both men are linked to Moscow addresses on Khoroshevskoye Highway, the location of the GRU headquarters. The Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani condemned the interference as a serious threat to Italian national security. Russia’s Foreign Ministry promised an “appropriate response.” Earlier that week, Italian authorities also arrested two Italian citizens suspected of cooperating with Russian intelligence services.

On July 6, 2026, Italy expelled two Russian Embassy employees, military attachés Ivan Petrovich Gorbachev and Mikhail Vasilyevich Astakhov, on suspicion of espionage. Both men were identified by The Insider as officers of Russia’s military intelligence agency, the GRU. Astakhov, 56, had made at least four trips on the Moscow-Rome route from 2015 to 2017, while Gorbachev, 47, had frequently traveled to Italy and Finland. Both men are linked to Moscow addresses on Khoroshevskoye Highway, the location of the GRU headquarters. The Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani condemned the interference as a serious threat to Italian national security. Russia’s Foreign Ministry promised an “appropriate response.” Earlier that week, Italian authorities also arrested two Italian citizens suspected of cooperating with Russian intelligence services.