Italian officer gets 20-year sentence for spying for Russia
Illustrative photo (Photo: Getty Images)
A court in Rome today, January 19, sentenced an officer of the Italian Navy to 20 years in prison on suspicion of spying for Russia, reports ANSA.
The jury in Rome has found Captain Frigate Walter Biot guilty of espionage and bribery after he was caught in March 2021 handing over secret documents to Russian embassy employees in a shopping center in Rome. The prosecution requested an 18-year prison sentence for him.
This is not the first conviction for a military officer
The news agency notes that this was the second verdict for the father of four children from Pomezia, near Rome. Previously, a military court found him guilty and sentenced him to 30 years in prison in March 2023. In 2021, Italy expelled two employees of the Russian embassy in connection with this case.
Russian spies in European countries
Recently, a representative of Czech intelligence reported that Russian special services remain active in Europe, helping to circumvent European Union sanctions.
Russia is also attempting to recruit asylum seekers in Finland as spies.
Estonian law enforcement recently arrested Professor Vyacheslav Morozov, who worked at the University of Tartu, on suspicion of espionage for Russia.
