News Feed

Italy sentences ex-navy officer to 20 years over spying for Russia

by Martin Fornusek January 19, 2024 11:13 PM 1 min read

The Russian embassy in Rome, Italy, 2021. (Andreas Solaro/AFP via Getty Images)

This audio is created with AI assistance

Support independent journalism in Ukraine. Join us in this fight.

A court in Rome sentenced on Jan. 19 a former Italian navy officer to 20 years in prison for spying for Russia, the ANSA news agency reported.

Frigate captain Walter Biot was found guilty of espionage and bribery after being allegedly caught handing over secret data to a Russian embassy official in March 2021.

According to the charges, Biot wanted to sell a flash drive with secret data for 5,000 euros ($5,447) to Russian naval attache Dmitry Ostroukhov. The Italian officer was detained during the attempted handover.

The memory card reportedly contained 181 photographs of documents and images from Biot's computer, including 47 marked as "NATO secret" and 57 as "NATO confidential."

This is already the second sentence handed to Biot, as a military tribunal sentenced him to 30 years in prison in March 2023.

Italy expelled two Russian diplomats in 2021 in retaliation for the scandal.

Author: Martin Fornusek

Support independent journalism in Ukraine. Join us in this fight.

Freedom can be costly. Both Ukraine and its journalists are paying a high price for their independence. Support independent journalism in its darkest hour. Support us for as little as $1, and it only takes a minute.

Comments

News Feed

3:58 AM

1 killed, 2 injured in Russian attacks on Sumy Oblast.

Russian forces attacked nine communities in Sumy Oblast on May 12, killing one person and injuring two others, the Sumy Oblast Military Administration reported.

3:22 AM

South Korean intelligence: North Korea suspected of supplying Russia with weapons made in 1970s.

South Korea's intelligence service is conducting a review into suspicions that North Korea has provided Russia with artillery shells and other weaponry made in the 1970s, the country's National Intelligence Service (NIS) said on May 12.

2:21 AM

General Staff: Battle for Vovchansk ongoing, Russia achieving 'tactical success.'

Fighting is ongoing for Vovchansk in Kharkiv Oblast, as Ukrainian troops are attempting to fend off Russia's attempt to capture the city, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported on May 13.

12:48 AM

War

Ukraine war latest: Putin proposes firing Shoigu, appoints new defense minister.

12:40 AM

Blinken: No doubt there has been ‘cost in months-long delay’ of aid for Ukraine.

Without a doubt, there has been a cost in the "months-long delay in getting the supplementary budget request approved and the equipment sent out to Ukraine," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on May 12.

11:25 PM

Update: Death toll in Belgorod apartment building collapse rises to 13.

According to the Belgorod Oblast Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov, a part of a 10-story apartment building collapsed there earlier in the day.

10:04 PM

Field report

Civilians flee Vovchansk under Russian bombardment as ground offensive on Kharkiv begins

Vovchansk is ground zero of Russia’s new offensive into Kharkiv Oblast, the first time a serious push has been made to take territory across the border since the area was liberated from Russian occupation in 2022.

9:42 PM

Putin proposes firing Shoigu, appointing new defense minister.

Belousov was Russia's economy minister in 2012-2013, an aide to Putin in 2013-2020, and first deputy prime minister in 2020-2024.

9:11 PM

Kharkiv Oblast

Zelensky: Situation in Kharkiv Oblast is 'difficult' as Russian troops advance.

His statement comes as Russia launched a new offensive operation targeting Kharkiv Oblast on May 10.

7:21 PM

Russia to increase taxes on struggling energy giant Gazprom this year.

Gazprom’s revenue fell by 30% last year with a net loss of $6.9 billion, the largest in 25 years. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine led to worsening relations with Europe, limiting the operations of the company.

5:49 PM

Video

Kharkiv Oblast town faces annihilation as Russia opens new front.

The Kyiv Independent joined local police on their mission to evacuate civilians from Vovchansk on May 11 — the operation that was constantly interrupted by Russian launches of aerial gliding bombs.

5:42 PM

Evacuations ongoing as Russian strikes increase in Kharkiv Oblast.

Around 500 people remain in the city of Vovchansk, close to the Russian border. Earlier in the day, two casualties were reported in Vovchansk and the nearby village Liptsy.

4:57 PM

Explosions rock Sumy, Kharkiv.

A Kyiv Independent correspondent heard explosions in Kharkiv at around 4:15 p.m. An hour before, the Air Force reported a missile attack on Sumy, located next to Kharkiv Oblast in northeastern Ukraine.

4:13 PM

Russia attacks 106 infrastructure facilities in Ukraine in one day.

Various weapons were used in the attacks and 107 settlements were targeted. Thousands of households in seven oblasts are suffering power outages due to Russian attacks, the Energy Ministry reported.

3:04 PM

David Cameron: Situation in Kharkiv 'extremely dangerous'.

Cameron stressed that Kyiv’s allies must do everything they can to “help the Ukrainians.” He pointed to the U.K.’s recent £3 billion ($3.74 billion) yearly package to Ukraine, adding that Westminster is “encouraging others to do the same.”

1:48 PM

Syrskyi: Russia's breakthrough attempt halted, situation in several sectors 'changing rapidly.'

"The enemy has partial success in some areas, and in others, (Ukraine's) Defense Forces are pushing the enemy out and improving their tactical position," Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on May 12.

12:40 PM

Russia seeking to blame Ukraine after apartment building collapses in Belgorod (UPDATED).

Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov claimed without evidence that a building in the Kharkovskaya Gora district of Belgorod Oblast was hit by a Ukrainian projectile during an air raid alert in the oblast.

11:20 AM

Media: Ukrainian drones attack military targets in 3 Russian oblasts overnight.

Drones operated by Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) attacked military targets in Russia's Volgograd, Lipetsk and Kaluga oblasts overnight on May 12, Ukrainska Pravda reported, citing its unnamed source in HUR.

10:43 AM

Governor: Russian attacks on Kharkiv Oblast kill 3, injure 5 over past day.

Russian troops attacked 27 settlements in Kharkiv Oblast over the past day, killing three people and injuring six, Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported on May 12.

9:46 AM

Air Force: Ukraine downs 5 Russian drones in south over past day.

Ukrainian air defense units shot down five Russian reconnaissance drones in Ukraine's south over the past day, the Air Force reported on May 12.

9:07 AM

General Staff: Russia has lost 482,290 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022

This number includes 1,260 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.

7:32 AM

Russia reports fire at Volgograd oil refinery.

An overnight drone attack caused a brief fire at an oil refinery in Russia's Volgograd region, Governor Andrey Bocharov reported on Telegram.

5:57 AM

Over 300 people evacuated from border areas of Kharkiv Oblast, minister says.

More than 300 civilians have been evacuated from the border communities of Kharkiv Oblast amid renewed Russian attacks on the area, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said on May 11.

4:48 AM

US General: 'Russia will not stop with Ukraine unless they're stopped in Ukraine.'

An autocratic regime like Russia can readily prioritize the expansion of its defense industries over economic well-being to sustain their military actions in Ukraine, along with help from Iran and North Korea, said Lt Gen. Steven L. Basham, U.S. Air Forces in Europe deputy commander.

2:23 AM

Ukraine takes third place at Eurovision 2024.

With their song "Teresa & Maria," Ukraine's Alyona Alyona & Jerry Heil received a total of 453 points, securing a third place in the Eurovision finals in Sweden's Malmo overnight on May 12.

MORE NEWS

Italy sentences ex-navy officer to 20 years over spying for Russia

Most popular

News Feed

Editors' Picks

Subscribe

Subscribe

Subscribe