Russian 'spies' arrested while attempting to break into arms factory in Albania

At least two Russian and one Ukrainian 'spy' were arrested after they tried to break into a weapons factory in Albania. The accused allegedly sprayed powerful chemicals on the faces of the soldiers who were guarding the weapon factory, Director of the Factory, Lorenc Zani, said and confirmed that three invaders indulged in a "physical clash" with the soldiers guarding the factory. Two Albanian soldiers were injured after the attackers used chemical spray on them.

"The officers who were guarding the plant reacted immediately, but during their efforts to stop the three foreign nationals, two of our soldiers were injured, "said the country's ministry of defense was quoted by the Daily Mail as saying.

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama confirmed the incident and said that three Russian citizens are "suspected of espionage." The accused are under police custody, and the injured Albanian soldiers have been hospitalised due to apparent chemical poisoning. According to the defence ministry, one of the arrested Russian citizens, identified as a 24-year-old MZ, first entered the plant to take photos, while the other two alleged spies - a Ukrainian man, and a Russian woman - were apprehended at the Gramsh military base in central Albania.

The officials seized photos of the plant that were saved on the memory cards of their devices. However, it is not clear why the men targeted the plant in Gramsh but military weapons are believed to be held inside. "An incident happened this evening at the Military Plant in Gramsh," said the Albanian Ministry of Defence. 

Albania received NATO member status in 2009, and earlier, Gramsh was used by Russia to manufacture AK-47 machine guns during the communist era. The said plant now manufactures weapons for the defence industry, said the ministry.

Daughter of Putin's close aid killed in a car explosion near Moscow

Notably, the said development comes at a time when the daughter of Alexander Dugin, known to be Russian President Vladimir Putin’s closest aide, was allegedly assassinated in a car bomb that was planned for her father. According to media reports, the blast occurred outside Moscow when she was driving her father's car after returning home from a literature and music festival. 

(Image: AP/Representative)