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Italy Expels 2 Russian Embassy Employees for Spying
Italy Expels 2 Russian Embassy Employees for Spying
By
Reuters
July 9, 2026
The Russian Embassy in Rome.
Dmitry Shuleyko (CC BY-SA 3.0)
The Italian government has decided to expel two military attaches at the
Russia
n Embassy in Italy who were allegedly involved in espionage activities, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Thursday.
Earlier this week, two people
were arrested
on charges of passing classified information to an alleged
Russia
n agent.
Prosecutors said the main suspect was a former officer of Italy's Carabinieri police force. Five other individuals are also under investigation.
Tajani said on X that the two
Russia
n officials must leave Rome within three days.
He said Moscow continued to employ "hybrid tools" against Italy and the West, describing this as "serious and unacceptable interference" that threatens national security.
Russia
's Foreign Ministry said
it would respond to Italy's expulsion of the two officials.
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,
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Italy expels two Russian Embassy staff members suspected of spying
Italy expels two Russian Embassy staff members suspected of spying
Italy has expelled two military attachés from the Russian Embassy in Rome over their alleged involvement in a spy operation under investigation by Rome prosecutors, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani announced.
Tajani said the Foreign Ministry had notified the Russian ambassador in Rome that “Ivan Petrovich Gorbachev and Mikhail Vasilyevich Astakhov must leave the country within three days.”
“Moscow continues to use hybrid tactics to attack the West and Italy. This is a serious and unacceptable act of interference against Italy’s institutions and national security,” Tajani wrote.
Russia’s Foreign Ministrystatedit would give an “appropriate response” to Italy’s decision.
On July 7, Rome prosecutorsannouncedthe detention of two former Italian intelligence officers suspected of passing classified national security information to an alleged Russian intelligence agent who holds diplomatic immunity in Italy.
According to investigators, the Russian agent was in contact with Gavino Raoul Piras, 59, a native of Sardinia, and Vincenzo Di Pasquale, 59, a native of Matera — both former Italian intelligence officers. Five oth…
Italy expels two Russian diplomats accused of spying
Italy expels two Russian diplomats accused of spying
World
Italy expels two Russian diplomats accused of spying
PUBLISHED : 9 Jul 2026 at 18:45
WRITER:
AFP
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Italian foreign minister Antonio Tajani condemned what he called 'serious and unacceptable acts of interference' by Moscow. (Photo: AFP)
ROME — Italy on Thursday ordered the expulsion of two Russian military attaches accused of spying, with its foreign minister condemning "serious and unacceptable acts of interference" by Moscow.
The expulsions came two days after police announced the arrest of two former Italian intelligence agents who media reports said gave Russia secrets on military aid to Ukraine.
"The Italian government has decided to expel two military attaches from the embassy of the Russian Federation in Italy, involved in espionage activities uncovered by the Rome public prosecutor’s office," Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
The minister named the Russians as Ivan Petrovich Gorbachev and Mikhail Vasilyevich Astakhov and said they had been ordered to leave within three days.
"Moscow continues to use hybrid warfare to attack the West and Italy -- acts of interference that …
Italy Arrests 2 Over Alleged Spying for Russia
Italy Arrests 2 Over Alleged Spying for Russia
Prosecutors said the main suspect, whom they did not name, was a 59-year-old former officer in the Carabinieri military police who previously worked in the intelligence community.
Italy expels two Russian Embassy staff members suspected of spying
Italy expels two Russian Embassy staff members suspected of spying
<p>Italy has expelled two military attachés from the Russian Embassy in Rome over their alleged involvement in a spy operation under investigation by Rome prosecutors, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani announced.<p>
Italy expels two Russian diplomats accused of spying
Italy expels two Russian diplomats accused of spying
Note: AI technology was used to generate this article’s audio.
Italy on Thursday ordered the expulsion of two Russian military attachés following a major counter-espionage investigation that authorities say uncovered a suspected spy network operating within the country's defense and security institutions.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani described the alleged activities as "serious and unacceptable acts of interference," saying they posed a direct threat to Italy's national security and its Western allies.
According to Tajani, the Secretary General of Italy's Foreign Ministry summoned the Russian ambassador to formally notify Moscow of the decision. The two military attachés, identified by Italian authorities as Ivan Petrovich Gorbachev and Mikhail Vasilyevich Astakhov, have been given three days to leave the country.
"Moscow continues to use its hybrid weapons to attack the West and Italy," Tajani said in a statement posted on X.
Russia's Foreign Ministry said Moscow would respond to Italy's decision.
The expulsions come two days after prosecutors in Rome announced the arrest of two former Italian intelligence figu…
BREAKING: Italy arrests former intelligence officer accused of spying for Russia.
Italy Expels Two Russian Embassy Staff Over Spying Case
Italy Expels Two Russian Embassy Staff Over Spying Case
Published byGlobal Banking & Finance Review
Posted on July 9, 2026
· Last updated: July 9, 2026
ROME, July 9 (Reuters) - The Italian government has decided to expel two military attaches at the Russian Embassy in Italy who were allegedly involved in espionage activities, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Thursday.
• Earlier this week, two people were arrested on charges of passing classified information to a Russian agent.
• Prosecutors said the main suspect was a former officer of Italy's Carabinieri police force. Five other individuals are also under investigation.
• Tajani said on social media platform X that the two Russian officials must leave Rome within three days.
• He said Moscow continued to employ "hybrid tools" against Italy and the West, describing this as "serious and unacceptable interference" that threatens national security.
• Russia's foreign ministry said it would respond to the Italian move.
(Reporting by Angelo AmanteEditing by Keith Weir )
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Italy expels two Russian embassy military attachés over spying
Italy expels two Russian embassy military attachés over spying
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Italy expels two Russian embassy military attachés over spying
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"The Italian government has decided to expel two military attachés from the Russian Embassy in Italy, responsible for espionage activities uncovered in the investigation by the Rome Public Prosecutor's Office." Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani announced the news in a post on 'X'. "The Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has just informed the Russian Ambassador in Rome that Ivan Petrovich Gorbachev and Mikhail Vasilyevich Astakhov must leave Rome within three days," he added, concluding: "Moscow continues to use its hybrid weapons to attack the West and Italy. This is a serious and unacceptable interference for Italian institutions and for national security."
In recent days, two people were arrested in Rome for espionage for Russia and unauthorized access to a computer or telematic system. Gavino Raoul Piras, one of the former 007 agents placed under house arrest as part of the ROS investigation, had access to documents marked as secret, confidential, top secret, and even c…
Corroboration
No verdict, no pronouncement. The model extracts atomic factual claims with verbatim quotes; every quote is validated against the source text and corroboration is computed by counting how many editorially-opposed blocs assert each fact. 2 fabricated/unverifiable quotes were rejected by the cite-or-die gate.
The spine · 2 facts corroborated across ≥2 opposed blocs
2×cross-perspective · 2The main suspect arrested was a former officer of Italy's Carabinieri police force.
otherrussia_ind
moscowtimes“Prosecutors said the main suspect, whom they did not name, was a 59-year-old former officer in the Carabinieri military police who previously worked in the intelligence community.”
themoscowtimes.com“Prosecutors said the main suspect was a former officer of Italy's Carabinieri police force.”
2×broadly confirmedItaly expelled two Russian Embassy military attachés who were suspected of espionage.
otherrussia_ind
meduza“Italy has expelled two military attachés from the Russian Embassy in Rome over their alleged involvement in a spy operation under investigation by Rome prosecutors, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani announced.”
themoscowtimes.com“The Italian government has decided to expel two military attaches at the Russia n Embassy in Italy who were allegedly involved in espionage activities, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Thursday.”
Contested · 1 — sources conflict; shown, not resolved
⚔ different number of arrests reported
A social Italy arrested a former intelligence officer who is accused of spying for Russia.
B russia_ind Italy arrested two people over alleged spying for Russia.
Single-source · 5 — reported by one bloc only (uncorroborated)
Italy arrested a former intelligence officer who is accused of spying for Russia.
bluesky
Italy arrested two people over alleged spying for Russia.
moscowtimes
Five other individuals are also under investigation.
themoscowtimes.com
Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said the two Russian officials must leave Rome within three days.
themoscowtimes.com
Tajani said Moscow continued to employ "hybrid tools" against Italy and the West, describing this as "serious and unacceptable interference" that threatens national security.
themoscowtimes.com
Framing · 1 — loaded language surfaced (spin shown, not adopted)
themoscowtimes.com
“He said Moscow continued to employ "hybrid tools" against Italy and the West, describing this as "serious and unacceptable interference" that threatens national security.”
→ use of the terms "hybrid tools" and "serious and unacceptable interference"
Entities
Russiaplace
Italyplace
Russian Embassyorg
former intelligence officerperson
two Russian Embassy staff membersperson
military attachésorg
two Russian diplomatsperson
Russian Embassy Employeesorg