Italian prosecutors have opened an investigation into possible espionage and terrorism after a drone flew several times over a European Union research center in the northwest of the country, two sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Monday.
The Joint Research Centre (JRC) in the town of Ispra, on Lake Maggiore, reported five overflights this month by a commercial drone, which, judging by the images, is believed to be Russian-made, sources said.
Flights over the JRC, which opened in 1960 as a nuclear research site, are not permitted.
As a result, the anti-terrorism department of the Milan public prosecutor's office has opened an investigation into military or political espionage for terrorist purposes, the source added.
Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto wrote on X Network that the allegations of possible military or industrial espionage were very serious and fit a pattern he had previously called questionable.
"Hybrid warfare is underway. As dangerous as it is covert, constant and suffocating... it involves a mix of targeted cyberattacks... (including) the theft of military and industrial technologies and patents, along with many other hostile acts, by multiple state and non-state actors," he said.
He did not name any country.
NATO countries have accused Russia of launching hybrid attacks on the West using hacking, sabotage, espionage and other tactics. Russia has denied such accusations, saying the West is stoking anti-Russian sentiment.
The JRC website states that the Ispra center is the third largest research campus of the European Commission after those in Brussels and Luxembourg. It deals with a number of issues, including nuclear safety, space, sustainable resources, migration and transport.
"The Commission is committed to protecting its information, staff and networks from any possible security threat," a European Commission spokesman said in a text message to Reuters.
The spokesperson added that in relation to this particular case "we have not observed any violation of the no-fly zone over the Ispra site by drones, nor are we aware of any related specific security threat."
However, two sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters that the Ispra center itself had reported the violation of its airspace to authorities.
Bonus video:
