Italian Navy Captain Suspected of Espionage

Embassy of Russia, Rome (Wikimedia Commons)

Italian police suspect Italian Navy Captain Walter Biot of selling highly classified military documents to a Russian military attache. Biot was arrested in a Rome parking lot on March 30, and police now allege that Biot attempted to hand over a memory card with more than two hundred confidential photos and documents in exchange for €5,000 ($5,958).

While this is far from the first case of espionage between Italy and Russia, the newspaper La Repubblica contends that it is the most serious incident of Russian espionage since 1989, when Russian and Bulgarian spies were found in Italy. Bulgaria, now an EU and NATO member, recently expelled two Russian diplomats after six people were arrested on suspicion of spying. 

Italy’s domestic intelligence agency first noted a relationship between Biot and the Russian official around four months ago. Officials allege that Biot has received a total of €40,000 ($47,666) in exchange for classified NATO and Italian military documents, including crucial documents on military telecommunications.

Biot’s lawyer claimed that his client admitted to selling information to Russia, but he denied exchanging classified documents. Biot further claimed that he was not motivated by ideology and did not transfer information that could endanger Italy or its allies.

Biot instead maintains that personal financial trouble motivated him. Biot and his wife have four children, including one who is seriously ill and requires special care, and his wife noted that their family was in severe debt and struggling to get by on Biot’s salary of €3,000 ($3574) a month.

Biot appeared in court on Thursday but declined to speak. He is currently jailed in Rome and faces 15 or more years in prison if convicted of espionage. Italian authorities expelled his Russian counterpart and another Russian official, identified as Dmitry Ostroukhov and Alexei Nemudrov. The two departed Rome on Thursday. 

The spying incident has threatened to strain the increasingly fragile relationship between Italy and Russia. While Italy remains one of the friendlier states toward Russia in the EU and NATO, this incident compounds fears that Italy may be a weak link against Russian activity in both organizations. A Russian military brigade sent as aid to Italy at the height of the COVID pandemic has come under suspicion as a possible cover for espionage operations. 

The Russian foreign ministry commented that the expulsions of Russian officials were regrettable, and though they did not immediately threaten further retaliation, a Russian lawmaker said he believed the Russian government would expel Italian officials as a reprisal.

Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio has referred to the incident as a “hostile act of extreme gravity.” Like its Russian counterpart, though, the Italian government appears to be attempting to avoid escalation while simultaneously defending its position. 

“We will continue acting in line with our geopolitical position and our values,” Di Maio stated. “But also safeguarding our fundamental interests, which require us to maintain a critical but constructive interlocution with Russia and China.”