“All that I can give you, I will give you, tell your boss that.” Italian police recorded Gavino Piras, 59, telling a Russian diplomat that in Rome. Piras is a former member of Italy’s secret service, and investigators say the man he was talking to was a Russian military intelligence officer who wanted to know what air defenses Western countries were sending to Ukraine.
Piras was arrested on Tuesday, along with a second former Italian intelligence official. Police had filmed and wiretapped the exchanges. His lawyer denied that he passed any classified information to Russia.
Who is accused
The Russian is Mikhail Astakov, a military attaché at the Russian embassy in Rome, who is accused of being an officer of the GRU. Court documents seen by Defense News allege that he handed Piras lists of information requests from his superiors at secret meetings. Piras, in turn, is accused of using cash from Astakov to recruit informants inside the Italian military. Five alleged informants are under investigation.
The documents describe a dead-drop routine. MicroSD cards loaded with information were left in a hole in a wall for Astakov to collect. Investigators said he paid €4,000 ($4,600) in cash for each package.
What the Russians asked about
Police heard Astakov press for details on Europe’s Samp-T air defense system, which Italy and France supplied to Ukraine, and on the Michelangelo Dome. Leonardo, the Italian company developing that system, has said it will be trialed in Ukraine in November. It uses an open architecture so partner countries can link existing assets together.
After one demand about the Samp-T, Piras refers to data about the battery that he had already passed over. He also fielded questions about the MBDA CAMM-ER missile, which Ukraine is in talks to assemble. The requests show how closely Moscow was watching Europe’s help against Russian missile and drone attacks.
A note delivered in September 2025 ranged wider. It asked about the effectiveness of attacks on Iranian nuclear sites, Italy’s plans to buy Storm Shadow missiles, rearmament plans for Italy, the EU and NATO, the priorities of EU defense, and help for Ukraine to build long-range missiles. Astakov also asked about a Leonardo sub-sea drone being tested in La Spezia. In April 2025, he asked about Avio, the Italian propulsion firm, months after it partnered with the US Army to supply missile solid rocket motors.
The transcripts also show Piras telling the Russian that British, not Italian, intelligence is helping Ukraine with long-range strikes on Russian oil facilities. He claimed Italian experts are studying the Russian T90 tank and cannot work out how its machine gun operates autonomously. “If they manage to steal the secret they will, so be careful,” he told Astakov.
Expulsions
On Thursday, the Italian government announced that it was expelling two Russian military attachés from the embassy, Astakov among them.
“Moscow continues to use hybrid warfare to attack the West and Italy,” Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said. “This is serious and unacceptable interference in Italian institutions and national security.”
