
The Prosecutor's Office of Milan, in cooperation with the ROS unit of the Carabinieri, has completed the investigations against two people who operated mainly in the Lombardy region.
These individuals, since the beginning of 2023, are suspected of cooperating with the Russian intelligence services by providing sensitive information.
These include the design of video surveillance systems in the cities of Milan and Rome, with special attention to the "grey areas," that is, those areas where there are no security cameras or other monitoring devices, such as cameras in taxi cars.
It is suspected that the accused have committed the criminal offense of "corruption of a citizen from a foreign state," with serious goals such as terrorism and overthrowing the constitutional order.
According to a statement signed by deputy prosecutor Eugenio Fusco, head of the anti-terrorism group in Milan, the accused - who are Italian nationals - are believed to have been operating from the region of "Upper Lombardy."
The investigations, launched in April 2024, followed a complex operation led by ROS in Milan, in collaboration with the Cryptocurrency Section of the Carabinieri Command in Rome.
During these investigations, it was discovered that Russian citizens had tried to recruit these individuals and had communicated with them through the Telegram platform.
In exchange for cryptocurrency payments, the suspects allegedly collected classified documents, photographs of military installations and information on experts specializing in drone technology and electronic security.
During the inspection carried out against them, evidence was discovered that shows the interest of Russian intelligence in the design of surveillance systems in Milan and Rome, with a focus on areas not covered by cameras.
In addition, the two individuals, against whom the procedure of closing the investigations has been initiated, are suspected of having proposed to some taxi cooperatives in Milan a business plan to install security cameras (dash cam) in the service vehicles for free.
This plan intended that, without the taxi drivers' knowledge, the collected data would be managed by Russian intelligence for various purposes. / La Repubblica