Spy scandal in Rome: GRU residences “la dolce vita”

The story of the capture of spies in Rome is more reminiscent of the black and white classic of Russian cinema about the legendary Stirlitz than of some series of the adventures of His Majesty Agent 007. Too everything is domestic. Too incredibly simple, mundane. No super limousines, traps, helicopters – Colonel GRU with diplomatic passport Dmitry Ostrouchov travels to the meeting place in the EUR district as a regular resident of the capital – the subway. Drive a few stops, get off, go to the bus stop, humble half an hour, and maybe more, because buses pass through the outskirts of Rome irregularly.

After getting off the bus, walk to the parking lot near the supermarket. In the hands of a “diplomat” he has a diplomat with money: five thousand euros in large bills. In the car, Walter Biot, an officer of the Italian General Staff, awaits you with secret information prepared on a USB key. And in the same place, both await ROS, carabinieri of a special operative squad.

For Italy, handcuffs and a prison cell. For Russians, “persona non grata” status and travel to the airport. Let’s take a behind-the-scenes look at the spy scandal.

“From Russia with love”

The GRU agency in Italy recruited Walter in the classic and cheapest way: inviting them to a diplomatic reception at the embassy. Villa Abamelek, the residence of the Ambassador of the Russian Federation, is one of the most impressive diplomatic residences in Rome. It was once owned by Duke Doria Pamphilj, then by the Tuscan barons Ricasoli, and was finally bought in 1907 by the wealthy Armenian-born Russian duke Semion Abamelek-Lazarev. A 27-hectare park of breathtaking beauty, luxurious palaces, eclectic-style interiors – all this beauty passed to the Soviet Union after the revolution.

During the diplomatic reception, the intelligent officer of the Italian Navy was not treated by Colonel Ostrouchov, but by his boss, First Captain Alexei Nemudrov. The bass of the GRU residence in Italy is the naval attaché of the Russian Embassy. Another cup of sparkling proseko, nice conversations about the immortal friendship between Italy and Russia. Later, several control inspections. And then there are the intelligence assignments and the status of a paid spy.

Nemudrov in Italy is his own man. During his seven years of service, the Russian-speaking Russian soldier has established an extensive network of acquaintances and has earned the trust of influential politicians and public organizations. One of the most significant stages of his career was Russia’s support for Italy in the fight against the Covid-19 epidemic. Last spring, the Russian IL-76 military transport plane with various specializations landed one after another at the NATO airport Pratika di Mare.

Attaché Nemudrov was entrusted with the functions of logistics commander for this mission. The logistics were really impressive: the Russian Kamazians on the Italian roads surprised the allies of the NATO nations. Did this intelligence veteran instruct the Russian figurines to stick a “fig leaf” – stickers with the inscription “Dalla Russia con amore” – from Russia with love? This turned out to be unclear, in any case, the Russian captain in the first place had a good understanding of the subtleties of Italian empathy.

Rome, a new spy for Eden?

The Russian diplomatic service in Italy competes with the Americans in the number of their residences, consulates, consular personnel and wins a little. Americans without an embassy, ​​the ambassador’s residence has three consulates general: in Milan, Florence, and Naples. In addition to the embassy, ​​the ambassador’s residence, the Russians have four general consulates – in Rome (via Nomentana 116, formerly Villa Lithuania – interwar Lithuanian embassy illegally occupied and not returned to the Kingdom of Italy), Milan, Genoa, Palermo .

According to the Il Riformista news portal, there are more than two hundred diplomats and consular officials of various ranks in Italy. “Of these, about eighty are related in one way or another to the GRU (General Intelligence Board of the General Staff of the Russian Federation) or the SVR (External Intelligence Service).”

Rome and Moscow have maintained excellent bilateral relations since the end of World War II. Russian explorers in the Apennines feel at home because Italy has apparently forgotten Henry Kissinger’s ironic warning: “Friendly states may exist, but friendly state intelligence services cannot.” The Roman newspaper La Repubblica concludes that Vienna is no longer the capital of Austria, but that Rome has become the Eden of Russian intelligence in Western Europe.

According to Italian observers, Alexei Nemudrov, founder of the spyware network in a few years, was the second most influential official in Italy after Ambassador Sergei Razov. Or maybe the first. On not very important occasions he dived alongside very important people. In 2018, for example, he went to Sicily, where he attended the 110th anniversary of the Messina earthquake. Italy remains grateful to the soldiers of the Imperial Russian Navy for providing first aid to the population affected by the great tragedy.

But there was another more practical reason: Nemudrov accompanied an important person from Russia – Vladimir Yakunin. A close associate of President Vladimir Putin, a former oligarch of the Russian Railway Empire, a veteran of the KGB, once received the Commander’s Cross of the Order of the Grand Duke of Lithuania Gediminas. It is true that the Lithuanian Constitutional Court subsequently declared the award decree unconstitutional.

Family values ​​and vaccines

Strange, colorful and influential Russian-Italian team: “railwayman” Jakunin, Nemudrov embassy attaché, former Italian Interior Minister, leader of the right-wing xenophobic party Lega Nord, Matteo Salvini, Russian super-oligarch Representative of the Konstantin militia ”in Italy Alexei Komov.

The team worked shoulder to shoulder: strengthening Moscow’s geopolitical influence in Italy, building inter-agency ties, recruiting Italian soldiers, sponsoring the Sputnik vaccine, fostering Italian-Russian pharmaceutical cooperation, and supporting the development of Russian media in Russian ( Sputnik portal). Not only that, he took great care of the values ​​of traditional European families. According to the WCF weekly L’Espresso, the World Congress of Families in Verona in 2019 was sponsored by the Italian right and the Kremlin influence group in Italy. By the way, according to data from the Siena Center for Investigative Journalism, the Lithuanian delegation also participated in this “traditional values” event. It’s true, not for Moscow, but for taxpayers’ money.

Next: focus on Sputnik

A few days ago, an officer of the General Staff detained in Rome had to deliver to Colonel Ostrouchov a medium containing 180 documents of the organization of Italian military missions abroad, 47 with the mark of “top secret” of NATO, in full secret.

The Italian counterintelligence clarifies if the arrested spy worked alone or if he was only the tip of the iceberg of the agency. The policy tiers raise much broader contextual questions: what is the relationship between GRU residency, detained spies, vaccine piracy, pandemic rescue operations, funding for traditional family festivals? They should be answered by the Copasir National Security Committee of the Italian Parliament. But the committee does not meet in any way, does not discuss questions, does not give answers. Copasir is run by local friends from Russia, straight from Lega Nord.

The Italian Foreign Minister, Luigi Di Maio, had summoned the Russian ambassador Razov to explain, he expelled the GRU agents, Ostrouchov and Nemudrov. However, Moscow does not seem to be very angry with Rome, it is talking about further fostering relations, about the prospects of the Sputnik vaccine.

Whats Next? This week, a Delfi journalist asked Alessio D’Amato, head of Lazio’s Regional Health Service, if Rome intends to continue cooperating with Russia on vaccines after the spy scandal. The manager’s response: “We care about the health of our citizens and the fight against the pandemic. We don’t see politics here. “