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Chosun reported on July 21st that “Russia expelled two diplomats, including the Italian defense attaché stationed in the country. It is seen as a tit-for-tat move after Italy expelled two Russian military attachés on suspicion of spying. On the 20th (local time), Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on social media (SNS) that “Russia expelled the Italian defense attaché in Moscow and the attaché’s aide without any reason.” Minister Tajani criticized the move as “a clear act of retaliation for Italy’s expulsion of two military attachés from the Russian Embassy who were caught conducting espionage activities.” Earlier, on the 8th, Rome prosecutors arrested two people, including a former Italian intelligence agency officer, on suspicion of leaking classified information to Russia. They are accused of handing over defense industry-related information obtained from six people, including active-duty Italian soldiers, to Russian diplomats in exchange for payment. The Italian government expelled two military attachés from the Russian Embassy in connection with the case, and Russia’s latest move is interpreted as retaliatory.”

The Insider reported on July 10th that “Italian authorities have expelled two Russian Embassy employees from the country on suspicion of espionage, according to an announcement by Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani on July 6. The two men are military attachés at the Russian embassy in Rome. Tajani identified them by their full names: Ivan Petrovich Gorbachev and Mikhail Vasilyevich Astakhov. They are required to leave Italy within three days. “Moscow continues to use its hybrid weapons to attack the West and Italy. This is a serious and unacceptable interference in Italian institutions and national security,” Tajani wrote. The Insider found that the attachés are officers of Russia’s military intelligence agency, the GRU. Mikhail Astakhov, 56, is from Tula. Leaked flight records from 2015 to 2017 show that he made at least four trips on the Moscow-Rome route. Ivan Gorbachev, 47, is from the Bryansk Region. In addition to Italy, Finland had also been a frequent destination for his trips abroad. Both men appear in leaked databases with Moscow addresses located on Khoroshevskoye Highway, where the GRU’s headquarters are located. The specific headquarters address, 76 Khoroshevskoye Highway, appears in leaks under Astakhov’s name at least as far back as 2013.”

Reuters reported on July 7th that “Italy has arrested two people, including a former member of its intelligence services, for allegedly passing classified ​information to a Russian agent, the Rome prosecutor’s office ‌said on Tuesday. Prosecutors said the main suspect, whom they did not name, was a 59-year-old former officer in the Carabinieri military police who ​had worked as part of the intelligence community. The ​accusations include the transfer of protected information, as well ⁠as unauthorised access to IT and telecoms services. Five other ​people have been placed under investigation as part of a probe launched ​in May 2025. The main suspect is accused of taking money to pass on to a Russian agent information obtained from his sources who ​include four serving members of the Italian military. The Russian ​operative allegedly involved is protected by diplomatic immunity in Italy. There was no ‌immediate ⁠comment from the Russian embassy in Rome.”

RBC Ukraine reported on January 30th that “the military tribunal in Rome has sentenced Italian Navy officer Walter Biot to 29 years and two months in prison for espionage in favor of Russia, reports Corriere della Sera. In 2021, a military serviceman was arrested while attempting to hand over NATO’s classified documents to the Russian Federation in exchange for a reward of 5,000 euros. According to the investigation, the suspect covertly photographed 106 classified documents using a special smartphone and planned to transfer the SD card to Russian Embassy employee Dmitry Ostroukhov in Italy in exchange for a monetary reward. Among the 19 photographed documents from NATO archives, some were labeled “highly confidential,” and one was classified as “top secret.” Some materials contained information on combating international terrorism, while others highlighted potential weaknesses of the Alliance.”

RLI reported on November 23rd that “Russian embassies in Europe have increased gray transactions on their accounts, which likely involve intelligence and meddling campaigns. Authorities in Italy are investigating a series of suspicious cash withdrawals that were made from accounts belonging to the Russian embassy in Rome, according to reports in the Italian press. On November 14, the Rome-based daily La Repubblica claimed that the Financial Intelligence Unit (UIF) of the Bank of Italy had launched a probe to uncover out exactly who made the cash withdrawals and who the money might have gone to. Russian diplomatic personnel withdrew nearly €4 million ($4.35 million) in cash from two accounts belonging to the Russian embassy in Rome. Russian embassy staffers reportedly withdrew €4 million on 21 separate instances, sometimes in portions amounting to €100,000 at a time. The withdrawals drew the attention of the UIF, which is now reportedly investigating the withdrawals. We believe that is not just the case for Russian embassy in Italy. Audit of bank accounts in Russian embassies is most likely to show a similar situation in Germany, the Netherlands, Slovakia, Poland, France, Sweden, Finland, and the U.S. The UIF investigators are anchoring their probe on several hypotheses. These include the possibility that the cash withdrawals were meant to bypass the progressively stricter financial sanctions that the European Union has been imposing on Moscow. The bulk of these sanctions began in February 2022, when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Notably, Russian embassy staffers started to withdraw the funds almost immediately after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began.The correlation between the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the cash withdrawals has led Italian authorities to entertain another hypothesis, namely that Rome embassy staffers have been using the cash to pay Russian intelligence personnel working without a diplomatic cover in Italy and elsewhere in Europe. We drew attention to this scenario in May 2022, when Russia’s Foreign Ministry facilitated the issuance of diplomatic passports.”

Decode39 reported on November 15th that “the Russian Embassy in Rome is in the Italian intelligence’s crosshairs, as its staff withdrew 4 million in cash since February 2022. It’s quite likely the money was used to pay agents and spread propaganda campaigns. Italian spies zero in on Russian Embassy. Staffers in Italy have withdrawn roughly €4 million in cash (sometimes as much as €100,000 at a time) from two accounts held by the Russian Embassy since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Repubblica reported that the anomalies alerted the Bank of Italy’s Financial Intelligence Unit and that Parliament’s Intelligence Committee had been informed. Now, intelligence agencies are focussing on to whom the untraceable cash might have gone. Financing information warfare? Hypotheses include the use of the Russian Embassy’s money channels to bypass EU-wide sanctions on Russian bank accounts. However, as Repubblica explains, perhaps the most credible one holds that cash withdrawals are “the result of a more complex strategy based on information: receiving it and passing it on.” Of course, the money might have been used to pay certain people without leaving a trace. Targets would include armed forces or other workers from vital State sectors that can provide relevant information, like on new weapons, for a fee. But it might have also been directed to pay “influencers, journalists or commentators to support the Kremlin’s cause.” Meanwhile, in Germany, an international journalistic investigation dubbed Cyprus Confidential revealed that award-winning German journalist Hubert Seipel, author of a biography of Russian President Vladimir Putin and a leading figure in the German media landscape on issues relating to Russia, was allegedly paid as much as €600,000 to publish an essay titled “Putin’s Power. Why Europe needs Russia” (he denies the allegations).”

L’unione Sarda reported on March 9th that “the military prosecutor’s office in Rome has requested a life sentence for naval officer Walter Biot accused of espionage. In March 2021, he would have handed over classified documents to an official of the Russian Embassy in Italy in exchange for money. During the indictment, the prosecutor reconstructed the story also referring to the photos in which Biot is seen taking pictures of the office PC screen with his cell phone and a series of documents. «Among the 19 documents photographed by Biot there were some NATO secret, very confidential, and one Top secret». For the representative of the prosecution «Biot traded in secret documents» and demonstrated «high degree of infidelity and criminal capacity, but also the sad venal gain. The cunning with which he wanted to conceal his action. That of March 30, 2021 was only that discovery, but there may have been others ».” On March 9th, Reuters reported that “an Italian navy captain was found guilty on Thursday of selling secrets to Russia and sentenced by a military tribunal to 30 years in jail. Walter Biot, 56, was arrested in 2021 as he was handing information to a Russian embassy employee in a Rome car park. Italy subsequently expelled two Russian diplomats and accused Biot of selling documents, including classified NATO documents, for 5,000 euros ($5,280).”