Rome | An Italian naval officer was arrested in the act of espionage for the benefit of Russia, along with a Russian officer to whom he handed “classified” documents, police said on Wednesday.
“In the evening of yesterday” (Tuesday), the police “arrested an officer of the military navy”, announced the riflemen in a statement, specifying that a Russian officer was also arrested.
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The operation, carried out under the supervision of the Italian counter-espionage and the Defense staff, “targeted a frigate captain of the military navy and an officer accredited to the Embassy of the Russian Federation, all the two being accused of serious offenses concerning espionage and state security, ”specify the carabinieri.
“The intervention took place during a clandestine meeting between the two men, caught red-handed after the transfer of classified documents by the Italian officer in exchange for a sum of money.”
The Italian officer has been arrested, but the Russian officer’s case is still under review due to his diplomatic status, the statement concluded.
Reacting to this announcement, the Italian Foreign Ministry announced that it had summoned the Russian Ambassador to Rome in the morning.
The revelation of this affair comes at a time when relations between Russia and Europe are strained, for example because of the Navalny affair and several other cases of espionage: Moscow accuses the European Union of having a “confrontational” position. Against him, while the EU blames Russia for the deterioration of relations, urging it for “sustained progress” on human rights, as well as “an end to cyber attacks” against its member states.
Thus, several German parliamentarians, including members of the Bundestag, the lower house, and other political figures have been the subject of a recent computer attack whose trail could go back to Russia, several German media said on Friday.
Likewise, Bulgaria announced ten days ago the expulsion of two Russian diplomats after the discovery of a suspected spy network for the benefit of Moscow, a decision which comes in a tense context between these two countries.
In addition, a French officer stationed at a NATO base in Italy suspected of having provided ultra-sensitive documents to the Russian secret services was imprisoned in August in Paris.
