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Exterior view of the Russian Foreign Ministry headquarters in Moscow, Russia. / Courtesy of TASS and Yonhap News

Russia has declared two Italian diplomats personae non gratae and expelled them in a tit-for-tat retaliation against Italy, which had previously expelled two Russian diplomats over espionage allegations. As both nations exchange diplomatic expulsions, their bilateral tension continues to escalate.

According to TASS, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova stated on July 20 (local time) that an Italian defense attaché and his assistant were being expelled from the country.

In a statement issued the same day, the ministry identified Defence Attaché Davide D'Aprile and Assistant Defence Attaché Vittorio Parrella as personae non gratae, ordering them to leave Russia with their families within three days.

Zakharova explained that this action was taken in direct response to Italy's previous measures against Russian diplomats.

In response, Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani vented his frustration on social media, writing, "Russia has expelled the Italian defense attaché and his assistant from Moscow without any justification. This is an overt act of retaliation for our expulsion of two Russian military attachés from Italy."

He added, "Those individuals were caught red-handed engaging in intelligence activities harmful to our national security."

On July 9, Tajani had announced the expulsion of two attachés from the Russian Embassy in Rome over alleged involvement in espionage, prompting the Russian Foreign Ministry to warn of retaliatory measures.

The previous day, prosecutors in Rome arrested the suspects on charges of selling defense industry information obtained from six individuals, including Italian service members, to Russian diplomats in exchange for money.

                                                                                                           Kim Hyun-min