Moscow regrets expulsion of Russian diplomats from Italy

"We express regret over the expulsion of two staff members of the Russian Embassy from Rome. We are clarifying the circumstances of taking this decision. Our possible steps in connection with the move, which does not conform to the level of bilateral relations, will be announced additionally," the ministry stated, TASS reported.

On Wednesday, Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio announced that the republic was immediately expelling two staff members of the Russian Embassy, who were suspected of illegal activities.

Earlier, the command of the Special Operations Group (ROS), part of the Italian Carabinieri, reported that an Italian serviceman and a Russian officer working in the Italian capital had been detained upon a warrant of Rome’s prosecutors. According to the statement, the Italian citizen has been placed in custody while checks have been launched to confirm the diplomatic status of the foreign citizen. The ROS specified that the detention took place on Tuesday when confidential documents were being handed over in exchange for money.

Russian Ambassador to Italy Sergey Razov was invited to the republic’s Foreign Ministry on Wednesday in connection with the case.

The Russian Embassy in Italy confirmed that an employee from the military attache's office had been detained.

RHM/TASS