Italian foreign minister says Russia expels military attache in ‘blatant retaliation’

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Monday that Russia had expelled Italy’s military attache in Moscow and one of his staff members in what he called “an act of blatant retaliation.”

“The Russian Federation has expelled, without reason, the Italian military attache in Moscow along with one of his collaborators,” Tajani said in a post on US social media company X.

“This is an act of blatant retaliation” for Italy’s expulsion of two Russian military attaches, he said.

Tajani added that they had been “caught red-handed while carrying out espionage activities to the detriment of our national security.”

Italy expelled two military attaches serving at the Russian Embassy in Rome on July 9 over alleged espionage activities.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry said at the time that Moscow would give an “appropriate response.”