Italy Arrests Navy Captain for Spying and Expels Two Russian Diplomats
“A man walks past the Russian Embassy in Rome, Wednesday, March 31, 2021. Italy has ordered two Russian Embassy officials expelled and arrested an Italian Navy captain on spying charges after police caught the Italian allegedly giving classified documents to one of the Russians in exchange for money.” Source: Express News / AP
On the night of March 30th, an Italian navy captain was caught exchanging classified documents for money from a Russian military official in a Roman car park. The Italian captain was apprehended immediately after completing the exchange. Carabinieri paramilitary police said in a statement that the operation was carried out after a long investigation in cooperation with Italy's domestic intelligence body Agenzia Informazioni e Sicurezza Interna (AISI) and the Defense Ministry.
The naval officer had allegedly downloaded confidential files to a flash drive and sold them to Russian military officials. The Carabinieri said the navy captain stands accused of "serious crimes concerning espionage and state security," that carry a penalty of more than 10 years in prison. A police source said the captain was called Walter Biot and had accepted 5,000 euros in return for the information. Biot, 54, was working at the defense ministry department tasked with developing national security policy and managing part of the relations with Italy’s allies, an Italian ministry source told Reuters.
Agenzia Nazionale Stampa Associata (ANSA; literally "National Associated Press Agency") said NATO documents were among the files that the Italian handed over, raising potential security concerns for other members of the military alliance.
The next morning, Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio summoned the Russian ambassador Sergey Razov and informed him of the expulsion of two Russian officials, including the official who was caught obtaining documents. Di Maio also spoke to the Italian Senate, calling the alleged exchange "a hostile act of extreme gravity.” He refused to speak further on the nature of the involvement of the second Russian official who was expelled.
Russian news agency Interfax quoted a lawmaker saying that Moscow would reciprocate for the expulsions by expelling Italian diplomats, as is standard practice in such cases.
However, the Russian diplomatic network seems to be taking a softer approach. The Russian Embassy of Rome confirmed the Italian detention of a diplomat stationed in the military attaché's office, adding the comment, "We hope it will not affect bilateral ties."
In Moscow, the Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement voicing regret about the two diplomats' expulsion. The Ministry announced, "possible steps in connection with the situation that does not conform with the level of bilateral ties will be announced later." Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he hoped that "the very positive and constructive nature of Russian-Italian relations will continue and will be preserved.”
No retaliatory measures have been announced at this time.
This incident happens at an inopportune time for Russia, as Putin continues to lobby for the EU to approve and purchase Russian-made Sputnik V coronavirus vaccines. Italy remains one of the few EU members with warm relations with Russia. Former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is a friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s, and then-Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte welcomed a Russian brigade “specializing in chemical warfare and disinfecting toxic substances” to the Lombardy region at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Eleonora Tafuro, a Russia expert at the ISPI think tank in Milan, suggested that Moscow might play down the incident to avoid antagonizing a rare European ally while it is trying to get the bloc to approve the use of the vaccine. "Russia is pushing hard [for this]" and "Italy has often spoken up for this Russian request," so ruining relations with Rome "could be a counterproductive move," the analyst told Agence France-Presse.
The incident is the latest in a series that has escalated tensions between Russia and Europe in the past few months. Bulgaria expelled two Russian diplomats last week after six people - including defense ministry officials - were arrested, and the Netherlands expelled two Russian diplomats for “suspected espionage” last December.