[GTranslate]ROME – International “spy story” in the heart of Rome, where an officer of the Italian Navy was arrested last night by the Ros of Carabinieri on charges of political and military espionage. The soldier, a frigate captain, was in fact surprised while he gave to an officer of the Russian armed forces, in exchange for money (5 thousand euros), some “classified” documents (top secret), during a clandestine meeting that took place in a parking lot of the capital.

Against the Italian soldier, who is now in detention, the accusations are of obtaining news concerning the security of the State, political and military espionage, dissemination of news whose disclosure is prohibited. The documents given by the naval officer to the Russian official relate to military telecommunication systems, papers to which the frigate captain would have had access as he was serving in the Defense General Staff.

The Farnesina immediately summoned the Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Italian Republic, Sergey Razov, to the Ministry this morning – on the instructions of Minister Luigi Di Maio. Then, Di Maio himself announced “the immediate expulsion of the two Russian officials involved in this very serious affair. I thank our intelligence and all the state apparatuses – added the minister – who work every day for the security of our country “.

For its part, Russia hopes that ties with Italy can be “preserved” despite the Rome affair: the Russian Foreign Ministry has expressed regret over the expulsion from Rome of the two Embassy employees. But the reaction will not be long in coming. “Moscow will have to respond symmetrically to Rome’s decision to expel two Russian diplomats from Italy,” said the deputy chairman of the Duma Commission for International Affairs, Alexiei Cepa.