Italy, Poland crack down on alleged Russian spying

Italy and Poland cracked down on alleged spying by Russia, moves that come as analysts warned that the Kremlin may be looking to expand its use of hybrid warfare as its battlefield efforts in Ukraine stall.

Rome expelled two Russian diplomats it said had carried out “serious and unacceptable acts of interference,” while Warsaw sentenced a couple for spying for Moscow.

Experts fear that Russian President Vladimir Putin may be looking for ways to escalate his war beyond Ukraine as he seeks to pressure Western leaders into forcing Kyiv’s hand on a ceasefire deal that he can sell as a victory. That leaves Ukraine and its Western backers bracing “for a dangerous summer,” the Financial Times’ chief foreign affairs commentator wrote.