Italy uncovers Russian Spy Network seeking intelligence on Ukraine's air defense
The investigation established that the Russian paid informants for secret data about the Samp-T and Michelangelo Dome systems (Photo: Air Command East / Facebook)
Italian investigators uncovered an alleged Russian espionage network in Rome tasked with gathering intelligence on Western air defense systems supplied to Ukraine, according to a report by Defense News on July 12.
Police, who had the suspected Russian military intelligence officer under surveillance and wiretapped his conversations with a recruited informant in Italy, recorded him requesting information on systems including the European-made SAMP/T air defense system supplied to Kyiv and Michelangelo Dome, an air defense system developed by Italy's Leonardo that is scheduled to be tested in Ukraine in November.
The Russian national, suspected of being an officer with Russia's military intelligence agency (GRU), was tracked during meetings with 59-year-old Gavino Piras, a former Italian intelligence officer who was arrested this week along with another former member of Italy's intelligence services.
How the network operated
According to investigators, Piras recruited informants within the Italian military on behalf of Russian national Mikhail Astakov in exchange for cash. The informants allegedly provided classified information requested by Astakov. Five suspected informants are currently under investigation.
Court documents identify Astakov as the military attaché at the Russian Embassy in Rome. Investigators say he handed Piras lists of intelligence requirements during clandestine meetings and received microSD cards containing the collected information, which were left in a hole in a wall for pickup. Astakov allegedly paid €4,000 in cash for each package of information.
The requests focused on how Europe was helping Ukraine defend itself against Russian missile and drone attacks. In addition to SAMP/T, Astakov sought information on the MBDA CAMM-ER air defense missile, which Ukraine plans to manufacture domestically, and the Michelangelo Dome system, Leonardo's open-architecture air defense platform designed to integrate existing air defense assets from partner countries. Leonardo has said the system is scheduled to undergo testing in Ukraine in November.
One intelligence request, dated September 2025, sought assessments of the effectiveness of strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, the damage inflicted on Iran's nuclear program and its prospects for recovery, as well as Italy's plans to procure Storm Shadow missiles, Italy's rearmament plans, EU and NATO defense priorities, and assistance to Ukraine's long-range missile program. Astakov also requested information on Leonardo's underwater drone, which the company is testing in La Spezia, Italy.
According to court documents, Piras told the Russian officer that British, rather than Italian, intelligence was assisting Ukraine with long-range strikes against Russian oil facilities. He also said Italian specialists were studying the design of the Russian T-90 tank, adding that they had been unable to understand the autonomous operating principle of its mounted machine gun and warning that, if they managed to uncover the technology, they would do so.
In April 2025, Astakov also requested information about the Italian company Avio, which manufactures rocket engines, several months before it entered into a partnership with the U.S. Army to supply solid rocket motors.
After Piras was arrested on Tuesday, his lawyer denied that he had passed any classified information to Russia. On Thursday, the Italian government expelled two military attachés from the Russian Embassy, including Astakov. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Moscow continues to wage hybrid warfare against the West and Italy, calling the alleged espionage operation "a serious and unacceptable interference" in Italy's institutions and national security.
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