Albania is investigating the motives of two Russians and a Ukrainian who tried to break into a military factory after a fight that ensued put two Albanian soldiers in hospital when they tried to stop the intruders. Two soldiers were slightly injured during the arrest of a 24-year-old Russian man who entered the grounds of the Grams military installation in central Albania and was trying to take pictures, the defense ministry said late Saturday. “The Russian national reacted physically and also used a spray, which injured the two soldiers who managed to alert the police,” Defense Minister Nico Pelesi said after the soldiers visited the hospital. Two others, a 33-year-old Russian woman and a 25-year-old Ukrainian man, were arrested nearby. It was too early to speculate on their motive, but Peleshi pointed to a possible connection to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has been criticized by the Albanian government. “Given the broad regional and geopolitical context, this cannot be dismissed as just an ordinary, political incident. But we can’t jump to conclusions,” he said on Sunday. Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said the three men were “suspected of espionage” without elaborating. Albania has been a member of NATO since 2019. Since the start of the war in Ukraine, the country has been condemning Russia along with other Western countries and has imposed sanctions against it. According to Tirana-based media, the three suspects were bloggers who frequently visited abandoned military bases and other factories in various countries. When Albania was under communist rule, the Grams factory produced Russian-designed AK-47 assault rifles. The ministry’s website said the plant now provides manufacturing services for the defense industry. In the past it was also used to dismantle small arms and ammunition.
