Italy expels 2 Russian embassy staff over spying

Italy has ordered the expulsion of two Russian embassy staff over alleged espionage activities, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Thursday.

“Italy’s government has decided to expel two military attaches serving at the Russian Federation’s embassy in Italy who are responsible for the espionage activities uncovered by the investigation,” Tajani said in a statement posted on US social media platform X.

The Foreign Ministry delivered the decision directly to Russia’s ambassador in Rome, Tajani said, giving the two officials three days to leave the country.

The move follows a counterintelligence investigation launched in May 2025 by the Rome Public Prosecutor’s Office. Two former Italian intelligence officials were arrested earlier on suspicion of passing secret and sensitive information to Russian officers in exchange for money.

Italian newspaper La Stampa reported that the suspects are believed to have provided details on rearmament plans in Italy, the European Union and NATO; the locations of drone-production facilities; and information on military aid to Ukraine.

For its part, the Russian Foreign Ministry told state news agency Tass that Moscow "will give an appropriate response."