Russia expels naval attache in Italian Embassy

Moscow has retaliated to Rome’s decision to expel Russian diplomats from Italy by declaring an Italian naval attache persona non grata, the Russian Foreign Ministry noted in a statement Monday.

"On April 26, Italian Ambassador to Moscow Pasquale Terracciano was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry where he was handed a note by the ministry saying that aide to the defense attache and naval attache in the Italian Embassy in Moscow C. Pacifici is declared persona non grata in response to the hostile and unfounded actions of the Italian authorities against the defense attache office of the Russian Embassy in Rome." the ministry noted.

"The staffer is ordered to leave Russia within 24 hours," TASS cited the statement as saying.