Russian Ambassador Invited to Italy’s Foreign Ministry amid Espionage Case

Russia’s Ambassador to Italy Sergey Razov has been invited to the republic’s Foreign Ministry after a staff member of the Russian diplomatic mission in Rome was detained in connection with the espionage case, the ministry stated on Wednesday.

"The ministry’s Secretary-General Elisabetta Belloni has summoned Russian Ambassador Sergey Razov at the instruction of Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio," according to the statement.

The Russian envoy is due to arrive in the Foreign Ministry on Wednesday morning, the statement says.

Earlier, the command of the Special Operations Group (ROS), part of the Italian Carabinieri, reported that an Italian serviceman and a Russian officer working in the Italian capital had been detained upon a warrant of Rome’s prosecutors. According to the statement, the Italian citizen has been placed in custody while checks have been launched to confirm the diplomatic status of the foreign citizen. The ROS specified that the detention took place on Tuesday when confidential documents were being handed over in exchange for money. "Those detained are a Navy captain and an officer working for the Russian embassy, who are accused of espionage and posing a threat to national security," the statement said.

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