Italian police on Tuesday said they had arrested two people including "a former member of the national intelligence community" on charges of spying for Russia.
A police statement said the two had disclosed information, including from "serving military personnel", to a suspected Russian intelligence officer.
Defence Minister Guido Crosetto thanked the Carabinieri police for conducting an investigation that was "as complex as it is sensitive".
"There can be no tolerance -- especially when individuals with positions of responsibility are involved -- toward anyone who compromises or puts at risk the security of the republic," he said in a statement.
The police said the main suspect, a 59-year-old former Italian agent, had been in contact with "an alleged officer of the Russian intelligence services, who enjoyed diplomatic immunity on Italian territory".
