Italy busts Russian spy ring collecting data on Ukrainian air defense vulnerabilities

Italian investigators have broken up an alleged Russian espionage ring in Rome, uncovering a plot to gather intelligence on Western air defense systems being sent to Ukraine. Police wiretapped conversations between an alleged Russian military intelligence officer, Mikhail Astakov, and Gavino Piras, a former Italian secret service member arrested this week along with another former Italian intelligence official. Court documents allege that Astakov, a military attaché at the Russian embassy, gave Piras lists of information requests from his superiors and received microSD cards hidden in a wall hole in exchange for cash payments of €4,000 per package. The espionage requests focused heavily on European air defense capabilities, including the Samp-T system supplied to Ukraine by Italy and France, the MBDA CAMM-ER missile, and Leonardo's planned Michelangelo Dome system set to be tested in Ukraine. Other requests included information on the efficiency of attacks on Iranian nuclear structures, Italy's plans to purchase Storm Shadow missiles, and assistance for Ukraine in building long-range missiles. Piras also claimed that British intelligence is assisting Ukraine in long-range strikes against Russian oil facilities and that Italian experts are studying the Russian T90 tank.