Russia Expels Two Italian Diplomats Following Italy’s Removal of Russian Embassy Officials

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Vittorio Barella, an attaché at the Italian Embassy in Moscow, and his assistant Davide Daberli have been declared persona non grata and given three days to leave Russia along with their families. This decision came after Italy expelled two Russian military attachés from its embassy in Rome. On July 9, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani stated that the two Russian diplomats were expelled on charges of involvement in intelligence activities. In a statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry described this move as a direct response to Italy’s “baseless demands,” emphasizing that any hostile or provocative actions against Russian diplomats will not go unanswered. Maria Zakharova, the ministry’s spokesperson, also said that the expulsion of the Italian diplomats was a retaliatory measure against Rome’s decision. Diplomatic tensions between Russia and some European countries have repeatedly resulted in reciprocal expulsions of diplomats in recent years.