Italian court sentences naval officer to 20 years in prison for spying for Russia

By Ahmet Gencturk

ATHENS (AA) – An Italian court has sentenced a senior naval officer to 20 years in prison for spying for Russia.

The 58-year-old frigate captain Walter Biot was found guilty of espionage and bribery by the court after being caught by Italian Carabinieri while handing over secret documents to Russian Embassy officials in a Rome shopping center in March 2021, the state-run ANSA news agency reported on Friday evening.

This was the second sentence handed down to Biot, who was found guilty in March 2023 by a military court and sentenced to 30 years in jail, the news agency said.

Commenting on the verdict, Biot’s lawyer Roberto De Vita insisted that his client is innocent.

In March 2021, Italy expelled two Russian embassy officials in connection with the case.