Italy expelled two Russian military attachés due to their espionage activities revealed by Rome’s prosecutor. Moscow promised retaliation, escalating diplomatic tensions.

Italy expelled two Russian military attachés from the Russian Embassy in Rome following investigations revealing their involvement in espionage activities against the Italian state. The expelled personnel are Ivan Petrovich Gorbachev and Mikhail Vasilyevich Astakhov, who were ordered to leave Rome within three days. The Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani publicly announced the expulsions on social media, describing the espionage as a serious and unacceptable interference with Italian national security. Moscow responded promptly with a statement from Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova, promising an adequate response. The Italian Foreign Ministry also summoned the Russian ambassador Alexei Paramonov to notify him of the expulsions. The espionage case involved transmission of classified information to Russian Intelligence GRU agents, including military secrets and identities of Italian intelligence personnel. An Italian ex-intelligence officer, Gavino Raoul Piras, was arrested with allegations of leaking classified information for financial gain. The incident exacerbates diplomatic tensions between Italy and Russia amid the ongoing Ukrainian conflict.