The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has described as “NATO Propaganda” the investigation of two Russian nationals for espionage by the Albanian Prosecution.
In a tweet published on Friday, the Russian MFA also criticized Albanian media for “fuelling the hype” around the investigation.
💬#Zakharova: Albanian #media are fuelling the hype around the criminal cases opened by local prosecutors against two Russians allegedly suspected of espionage.@RussianAlbania sent an inquiry to the Albanian MFA. The incident appears to be an exercise in #NATO propaganda ☝️ pic.twitter.com/KOpNDF7H4O
— MFA Russia 🇷🇺 (@mfa_russia) July 9, 2021
In June, the Prosecution began investigations into 2 Russian nationals and 5 Czech citizens for espionage carried out during Defender Europe 21, a major multinational military exercise led by the United States.
The Russians are being investigated for obtaining confidential information about the operations of a foreign government.
One of the suspects entered Albania on May 12th with a drone on him and stayed in Durres while military training was taking place nearby.
The other Russian national entered Albania in March and reportedly stayed in the coastal town of Orikum in southern Albania for a period that coincided with another military training. He was deported on May 10th.
