OREANDA-NEWS. The Kremlin hopes that the incident with the detention of a Russian officer in Italy will not interfere with relations between the two countries, as presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said.

"We do not currently have information about the reasons and circumstances of this detention. But in any case, we hope that the very positive and constructive nature of Russian-Italian relations will continue and will continue," he said.

It is recalled that on March 30, Italian carabinieri detained two people: a Russian officer accredited at the embassy in Rome, and a captain of the Italian Navy. They are accused of espionage - the carabinieri said they had carried out the arrest immediately after the Italian officer handed over the secret documentation to the Russian in exchange for money.

According to local media reports, the special services learned about the contacts between the officers several months ago. The Russian allegedly received from his colleague not only Italian data, but also secret information from NATO, which cost him five thousand euros. The serviceman was arrested, and the Russian officer, according to media reports, will be expelled from the country.

The Russian embassy confirmed the detention of a member of the military attaché's office. The diplomats said they were clarifying the circumstances of the incident and expressed the hope that this would not affect relations between Russia and Italy.