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

ROME — Russia has told one of its spies in Europe to find out more about air defense capabilities western nations are sending to Ukraine, Italian investigators have reported after breaking up an alleged espionage ring in Rome.

Police who filmed and wiretapped an alleged Russian military intelligence officer quizzing an accused informant in Italy heard him demanding information on systems like Europe’s Samp-T , which has been given to Kyiv, and the Michelangelo Dome, an air defense system developed by Italy’s Leonardo due to be tested in Ukraine in November.

The Russian accused of being an officer with Russia’s military intelligence agency GRU was followed as he met with Gavino Piras, 59, a former member of Italy’s secret service, who was arrested this week along with a second former Italian intelligence official.

Piras is accused of using cash supplied by the Russian official, Mikhail Astakov, to recruit informants in the Italian military who fed him secret information Astakov asked for. Five alleged informants are under investigation.

Court documents seen by Defense News allege that Astakov — who was a military attaché at the Russian embassy in Rome — gave Piras lists of information requests from his superiors at secret meetings and was given microSD cards packed with information which were left in a hole in a wall for collection.

The Russian paid out €4,000 ($4,600) in cash for each package of information, the investigators said.

“All that I can give you, I will give you, tell your boss that,” Piras told Astakov.

The requests show a determination to find out exactly how Europe was helping Ukraine defend itself from Russian missile and drone attacks.

Following a demand for information about the European Samp-T air defense system supplied by Italy and France to Ukraine, Piras refers to data about the battery he has passed over, and he also fields requests about the MBDA CAMM-ER air defense missile, which Ukraine is in talks to assemble.

Astakov also asks about Leonardo’s planned Michelangelo Dome, an air-defense system designed with open architecture to allow partner countries to link existing assets and make them interoperable.

Leonardo management has said the system will be trialed in Ukraine in November.

One note delivered in September 2025 requested information on a variety of topics including “Efficiency of attacks on Iranian nuclear structures, damage to the program, prospects of work restarting,” as well as Italy’s plans to purchase Storm Shadow missiles, rearmament plans for Italy, EU and NATO, “Priorities and objectives of EU defense” and “Help for Ukraine to build long distance missiles.”

The Russian was also curious about a Leonardo sub-sea drone he says the firm is testing in La Spezia in Italy.

In the transcripts reported in the court documents, Piras tells the Russian that British, not Italian, intelligence is assisting Ukraine in its long range strikes against Russia oil facilities.

Piras also claims that Italian experts are studying the workings of the Russian T90 tank. “They don’t understand how the machine gun mounted on it works autonomously. If they manage to steal the secret they will, so be careful,” he tells Astakov.

In April 2025, Astakov requested information on Avio, the Italian propulsion firm, months after it partnered with the US Army to supply missile solid rocket motors.

After Piras was arrested on Tuesday, his lawyer denied he had passed any classified information to Russia.

On Thursday, the Italian government announced it was expelling two Russian military attaches working at the Russian embassy, including Astakov.

“Moscow continues to use hybrid warfare to attack the West and Italy,” said Italian foreign minister Antonio Tajani. “This is serious and unacceptable interference in Italian institutions and national security,” he added.

Tom Kington is the Italy correspondent for Defense News.

罗马——意大利调查人员在罗马捣毁了一个所谓的间谍组织后报告称，俄罗斯已指示其在欧洲的一名间谍进一步了解西方国家向乌克兰输送的防空能力。

警方拍摄并窃听了一名据称是俄罗斯军事情报官员的男子在意大利审问一名被指控的线人的录音，录音中该男子要求提供有关欧洲的 Samp-T 系统（已交付基辅）和米开朗基罗穹顶（由意大利莱昂纳多公司开发的防空系统，将于 11 月在乌克兰进行测试）等系统的信息。

被指控为俄罗斯军事情报机构 GRU 官员的俄罗斯人被跟踪，因为他与 59 岁的意大利前情报人员加维诺·皮拉斯会面。皮拉斯本周与另一名意大利前情报官员一同被捕。

皮拉斯被指控利用俄罗斯官员米哈伊尔·阿斯塔科夫提供的现金，在意大利军方招募线人，向他提供阿斯塔科夫要求的秘密情报。目前有五名涉嫌线人正在接受调查。

《防务新闻》看到的法庭文件称，阿斯塔科夫（时任俄罗斯驻罗马大使馆武官）在秘密会议上向皮拉斯提供了上级的信息请求清单，并收到了装满信息的microSD卡，这些卡被放在墙上的一个洞里等待收集。

调查人员称，俄罗斯方面为每份情报支付了 4000 欧元（4600 美元）现金。

“我能给你的，我都会给你，你去告诉你的老板，”皮拉斯对阿斯塔科夫说。

这些请求表明，欧洲决心查明究竟是如何帮助乌克兰抵御俄罗斯导弹和无人机袭击的。

在被要求提供有关意大利和法国向乌克兰提供的欧洲 Samp-T 防空系统的信息时，皮拉斯提到了他已经移交的有关该导弹系统的数据，他还回答了有关 MBDA CAMM-ER 防空导弹的问题，乌克兰正在就组装该导弹进行谈判。

阿斯塔科夫还询问了莱昂纳多计划的米开朗基罗穹顶，这是一个采用开放式架构设计的防空系统，旨在让伙伴国家连接现有资产并使其互操作。

莱昂纳多管理层表示，该系统将于11月在乌克兰进行试用。

2025 年 9 月送达的一份备忘录要求提供有关各种主题的信息，包括“攻击伊朗核设施的效率、对该计划的损害、重启工作的前景”，以及意大利购买“风暴阴影”导弹的计划、意大利、欧盟和北约的重新武装计划、“欧盟防务的优先事项和目标”以及“帮助乌克兰建造远程导弹”。

这位俄罗斯人还对莱昂纳多公司的一款水下无人机很感兴趣，他说该公司正在意大利拉斯佩齐亚进行测试。

在法庭文件中报道的笔录中，皮拉斯告诉俄罗斯人，协助乌克兰对俄罗斯石油设施进行远程打击的是英国情报部门，而不是意大利情报部门。

皮拉斯还声称，意大利专家正在研究俄罗斯T90坦克的运作原理。“他们还不了解坦克上安装的机枪是如何自主工作的。如果他们设法窃取了这项秘密，他们肯定会得逞，所以要小心。”他告诉阿斯塔科夫。

2025 年 4 月，阿斯塔科夫向意大利推进系统公司 Avio 索取了相关信息。几个月前，Avio 与美国陆军合作，为其提供导弹固体火箭发动机。

皮拉斯周二被捕后，他的律师否认他曾向俄罗斯传递任何机密信息。

周四，意大利政府宣布驱逐两名在俄罗斯大使馆工作的俄罗斯武官，其中包括阿斯塔科夫。

意大利外交部长安东尼奥·塔亚尼表示：“莫斯科继续使用混合战争手段攻击西方和意大利。这是对意大利机构和国家安全的严重且不可接受的干涉。”

汤姆·金顿是《防务新闻》驻意大利记者。