Italy expels two Russians, arrests Italian Naval officer in spying case
Max Civili
Press TV, Rome
Two Russian Embassy officials have been expelled from Italy on the grounds that they were spies. The affair also involves an Italian Navy officer who has been arrested on spying charges.
The frigate captain was caught handing over classified documents, including NATO dossiers, to one of the Russians in exchange for 5,000 Euros.
Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio told a joint session of the Italian Parliament's foreign relations committees that the incident was a hostile act of extreme gravity
Italian police said the arrests were the result of a lengthy investigation by national security and military officials.
The Italian navy captain involved in the spying case is 54-year-old Walter Biot, who was reportedly working at the defense ministry in a department charged with developing national security policy and maintaining relations with Italy's allies.
Relations between Italy and Russia are rooted in history, with Rome being one of Moscow’s key partners in Europe.
Italy is the second largest market for Russian gas in the EU and energy relations between the two countries stretch back to the Cold War period.
Russia's reaction after the incident suggests Moscow is keen to play down the incident. In a note, the Kremlin said it hopes that the very positive and constructive character of Russian-Italian relations will be preserved.
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