The Albanian Ministry of Defense has reported that two servicemen have been injured when two Russian and one Ukrainian nationals, suspected of espionage, were arrested while attempting to enter a military equipment factory.
The incident occurred at around 5:40 p.m. (local time), when the guard guarding a military plant in the town of Gramsh noticed "suspicious movements" around the facility, so he informed his superior, according to a Defense Ministry statement.
The suspect, who tried to flee after injuring the two officers in the eyes with an aerosol spray, was subsequently arrested. Meanwhile, Albanian police services blocked the vehicle of a woman and a man accompanying the first suspect.
"The police services made it possible to locate and block in the vicinity of this area the Chevrolet-type vehicle in which the Russian citizen, aged 33, and the Ukrainian citizen, aged 25, were traveling," the Albanian Defense Ministry explained this Saturday evening.
The country's Prime Minister Edi Rama said he was proud on his official Twitter profile of the military guards "who neutralized the three espionage suspects." "Prompt recovery of the wounded and now let's wait for the full disclosure of this event," he added.
The Albanian authorities have notified the Russian Embassy in Tirana of the event and demanded detailed information about the Russian citizens who have tried to forcefully enter the perimeter guarded by the military guards, 'Dita' daily has reported.