An employee of the Russian embassy detained on suspicion of espionage will be expelled from Italy. This was announced on Wednesday, March 31st, by the local newspaper Corriere della Sera.
It is noted that such a step will be taken, since his diplomatic status makes the arrest impossible.
The publication also points out that the Italian captain, who was also detained, allegedly transferred to the Russian not only Italian documents, but also secret information from NATO. At the same time, the Italian special services received data on contacts between them several months ago, the newspaper emphasizes.
Earlier that day, the newspaper La Repubblica reported that a Russian officer and a captain of the Italian Navy were detained in Rome during a secret meeting after an Italian officer handed over classified documents in exchange for money.
After completing official procedures, the officer was arrested. In a statement, the ROS carabinieri special unit called the Russian serviceman “accredited at the embassy in Italy.”
In connection with this situation, Russian ambassador Sergei Razov was summoned to the Italian Foreign Ministry.
Later, the Russian Embassy in Italy confirmed the detention of an employee of the military attaché’s office in Rome, noting that the circumstances are currently being investigated. Also, the diplomatic service said that they expect that what happened will not affect bilateral relations between Russia and Italy.