Russian spies: Rome expels two diplomats. Moscow’s anger

They were the Russian piece of the espionage puzzle uncovered in the investigation by the Rome Public Prosecutor’s Office: Ivan Petrovich Gorbachev and Mikhail Vasilyevich Astakhov, military attachés at the Russian Embassy in Rome, were expelled by decision of the Italian government on the grounds that they were the contacts of the two former Italian secret agents arrested in recent days for selling secrets and sensitive information to Moscow’s advantage. Diplomats used as “hybrid weapons to attack the West and Italia”, in “a serious and unacceptable interference with Italian institutions and national security”, thundered Antonio Tajani, who summoned – for the umpteenth time – – to the Farnesina.

The Russian ambassador chose to launch a personal counter-attack: “Russia can count on figures of the calibre of Vladimir Putin and Sergei Lavrov. Italia, by contrast, despite its immense potential in terms of ideas and its political and humanistic heritage, does not currently have figures of such stature”. Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministry in Moscow issued a warning: “We will respond.” “By expelling as many Russian diplomats as possible from the country, Rome would like to limit Russia’s influence in Italia as much as possible”, but “this is impossible in any case”, according to Paramonov, who had his photograph taken at the Farnesina building holding a picture of Lavrov and one of his quotes: “Sorry, but I’m going to swear.” The Foreign Ministry’s account of the meeting between the Russian representative and Secretary-General Riccardo Guariglia was of a completely different tone; Guariglia expressed to the ambassador “the Italia government’s strongest protest following the illegal activities carried out by two officials with diplomatic status”, describing it as “a serious and unacceptable interference with national security and Italian institutions”.

The two Russian military attachés have been given 72 hours to leave the country after being “involved in activities found to be incompatible with the provisions of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations”. “Italia will continue to counter, with the utmost determination, any hostile activity directed against the country, in close coordination with its Allies,” the Foreign Ministry assured. The expulsion of the two Russian attachés is, in fact, an unavoidable step – as was the case with Walter Biot – following the investigation that led to the arrest of Gavino Raoul Piras and Vincenzo Di Pasquale, former AISI agents, whilst four Carabinieri are also under investigation. Piras attempted to defend himself by claiming that the information provided to the Russians was not confidential, but the prosecutors’ documents instead reveal classified data on Italian and foreign intelligence agents, arms supplies to Ukraine and other sensitive dossiers. This affair does nothing but further widen the rift between Rome and Moscow, as amply demonstrated by the series of diplomatic tensions that have occurred frequently in recent months, ranging from attacks on President Mattarella to those against Giorgia Meloni, amidst propaganda and disinformation that form part of the very ‘hybrid war’ referred to by Tajani and Crosetto.

Whilst all eyes are on Moscow, and we await the “response” threatened by the Foreign Ministry – which has hinted at the possibility of reciprocal measures against our diplomats in Russia – “Russia can take whatever retaliatory action it likes, but that is simply revenge,” said Tajani. “They should prove that those they are expelling are spies. Our decision is based on facts; theirs is political.”