Italy expels two Russian military attachés

Italy has decided to expel two military attachés from the Russian Embassy after judicial authorities concluded that they were involved in espionage activities. The announcement was made by Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, CE Report quotes MOLDPRES.

According to Tajani, the two diplomats, identified as Ivan Petrovich Gorbachov and Mikhail Vasilyevich Astakhov, have been ordered to leave Italy within three days.

The foreign minister said the diplomats were responsible for "espionage activities uncovered by the Rome Public Prosecutor's Office."

"Moscow continues to use hybrid methods to attack the West and Italy. This is a serious and unacceptable interference in Italy's institutions and national security," Tajani wrote on X.

The decision follows the announcement by the Rome Public Prosecutor's Office on July 7 that two individuals had been detained on suspicion of passing classified information to a Russian agent.

According to the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, the main suspects are two former Carabinieri officers, both aged 59, who specialized in intelligence and counterintelligence.

Investigators allege that they provided confidential information to a Russian agent operating under the protection of the Russian Federation's diplomatic mission. The investigation has been ongoing since May 2025.

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