Russia expelling Italian military attache, his aide as response measure — diplomat

Lead

Russia has expelled Italy's military attaché and his assistant, declaring them persona non grata, in what Moscow describes as a reciprocal measure in response to Italy's earlier expulsion of two Russian military attachés. The Italian diplomats, identified as Vittorio Parrella, assistant defense attaché, and Davide D'Aprile, an attaché, must leave Russia with their families within three days, according to a statement from the Russian foreign ministry reported by the Jerusalem Post. The ministry also said it had summoned Italian interim Charge d'Affaires Giovanni Scopa in connection with the expulsion.

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova confirmed the decision to TASS, saying, "Yes, this is a response measure." Italy's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani had announced on July 9 that Rome was expelling two Russian military attachés from the embassy in Rome, giving them three days to leave the country.

Coverage Comparison

The Jerusalem Post framed the development as a reciprocal move, emphasizing that Russia's action directly responds to Italy's decision. It quoted Tajani's sharp rebuke, in which he called Moscow's expulsion "an act of blatant retaliation" and asserted that the two Russian attachés had been "caught red-handed while carrying out espionage activities to the detriment of our national security." The Post also reported that Russia declared the two Italian diplomats persona non grata, a formal designation used in diplomatic practice.

TASS, in its multiple reports, focused on the reciprocal nature of the measure and the ensuing war of words. It quoted Zakharova confirming the expulsion and Tajani's reaction, with Tajani describing Moscow's action as an "act of revenge" for Rome's expulsion. According to TASS, Zakharova responded that Tajani was "lying" in claiming the expulsion was without reason. TASS also detailed the sequence of events, noting that Italy's initial expulsion of the Russian attachés followed the detention of two former special services agents in Rome on espionage-related charges.

Both outlets reported the core facts consistently: Russia expelled two Italian diplomats, Italy had previously expelled two Russian diplomats, and the tit-for-tat exchange is linked to an ongoing espionage case in Italy. The tone across reports remained largely factual, though TASS's coverage included a defensive framing of Russia's position, while the Jerusalem Post's language was more pointed, reflecting Tajani's harsh criticism.

Key Claims

• Russia declared two Italian diplomats—Vittorio Parrella and Davide D'Aprile—persona non grata and ordered them to leave within three days, according to the Jerusalem Post's report of a Russian foreign ministry statement.
• Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova confirmed that Moscow was expelling Italy's military attaché and his aide "in response to Rome's actions," as reported by TASS.
• Italy's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani announced on July 9 that Rome was expelling two Russian military attachés from the Russian Embassy, giving them three days to leave, according to both TASS and the Jerusalem Post.
• Tajani described Moscow's move as an "act of revenge" for the expulsion of the Russian diplomats, with the Jerusalem Post quoting him calling it "an act of blatant retaliation."
• Two former special services agents were detained in Rome on charges of allegedly passing classified information related to national security to Russia, according to TASS, citing a police statement. Five more individuals are under investigation on various charges, including "political and military espionage," "disclosing state secrets," and "disclosing information the dissemination of which is prohibited," as reported by TASS.
• One of the two suspects, Gavino Raoul Piras, has denied transferring any classified documents through his lawyer, Francesco Vaccaro, who said Piras voluntarily agreed to be interrogated.
• Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko, commenting on Tajani's reaction, said Italy should not pretend it does not know what reciprocity is, saying, "I don't think that the Italian foreign minister is ignorant to this." This statement was carried by TASS.

Perspectives

Russia's view: Russian officials, including Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova and Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko, maintain that the expulsion is a legitimate reciprocal measure. Zakharova called it a "response measure," and Grushko said Italy is familiar with the principle of reciprocity. Zakharova also accused Tajani of lying about the reasons for the expulsion.

Italy's view: Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani condemned the expulsion as "an act of blatant retaliation" and insisted that Moscow acted "without reason." He reiterated that the two Russian attachés expelled from Italy were involved in espionage activities harmful to Italian national security.