A case that could compromise relations between Rome and Moscow. An Italian naval officer was arrested on Tuesday evening in the act of espionage for the benefit of Russia, Italian law enforcement officials said on Wednesday March 31 in a statement. According to the same sources, the suspect was handing over documents “Classified in exchange for a sum of money” to a Russian officer.
The operation, carried out under the supervision of the Italian counterespionage and the defense staff, “Targeted a naval frigate captain and an officer accredited to the Russian Federation embassy, both accused of serious offenses relating to espionage and state security”, specify the riflemen. The Russian officer, protected by his diplomatic status, has not been arrested but he will be expelled from the country, according to the site of the Italian daily Corriere della Sera.
Russian ambassador plays appeasement
In the process, the Italian foreign ministry, Luigi Di Maio, summoned the Russian ambassador to Rome on Wednesday morning. The latter confirmed the arrest of“An official of the office of the military attaché”.
“At the moment, it is not opportune to comment on what happened. In any case, we hope that what happened will not have any consequences on bilateral relations between Russia and Italy ”, says the statement from the Russian Embassy.
This case comes in a tense context, in particular because of the Navalny affair and several other cases of espionage. Moscow accuses the European Union (EU) of having a position “Conflictual” towards him, while the EU blames Russia for the deterioration of relations, urging it to “Sustained progress” on human rights, as well as “The cessation of cyber attacks” against its member states.
German parliamentarians, including some members of the Bundestag as well as various political figures were recently victims of a computer attack whose trail could go back to Russia, underlined, Friday March 26, several German media.
Same tension in Bulgaria, which announced, ten days ago, the expulsion of two Russian diplomats after the discovery of a suspected spy network for the benefit of Moscow. Not to mention that a French officer stationed at a NATO base in Italy, suspected of having provided highly sensitive documents to the Russian secret services, was imprisoned in Paris in August.