ItalyThe Italian government has expelled two Russian military diplomats based in Rome, accusing them of being contacts of two former Italian spies arrested for selling sensitive information to Moscow. The expelled diplomats, Ivan Petrovich Gorbachev and Mikhail Vasilyevich Astakhov, were linked to a spy network uncovered by Rome prosecutors. Italian officials, including Antonio Tajani, condemned the actions as 'hybrid weapons' aimed at undermining Italy and Western institutions. In response, the Russian ambassador, Aleksei Paramonov, criticized Italy for lacking leaders comparable to Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Sergei Lavrov, while warning that Russia would respond. The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that expelling diplomats aims to reduce Russian influence but acknowledged it remains challenging. The incident follows the arrest of two Italian agents who allegedly provided classified intelligence to Russian intelligence services.
Bias read (Center): While the article presents the Italian government's accusations against Russian diplomats and includes strong language from both sides, it does not clearly favor one side over the other. It reports on the official positions of both Italy and Russia without evident ideological slant. The framing is a
