Two Russians and a Ukrainian national were detained on Saturday, while the two Albanian soldiers are being treated in hospital, according to local media. A man was spotted on camera trying to take pictures on the perimeter of the weapons factory in the town of Grams, about 80 kilometers south of the capital Tirana. When the guards confronted him, he sprayed the soldiers with a nerve agent, according to a statement from the Chekin military plant in Grams, Top Channel reported. Police received information that this man was not alone and immediately set up checkpoints and blocked a vehicle with another Russian and a Ukrainian national, who are also being held by police, the news site said. The three are a 24-year-old Russian man, a 33-year-old Russian woman and a 25-year-old Ukrainian man, according to the report. It is not the first time that suspected Russian agents have infiltrated the Mediterranean country, which is a member of NATO, to gather military intelligence or carry out attacks. Last summer, two Russian citizens were caught on the outer perimeter of the Kučova air base, transporting a drone. In both cases, the suspected spies entered as tourists, under rules that allow Russians to enter without visas for the summer holiday season – a loophole that some are now calling for to be abolished. Albania, a candidate for EU membership, is a staunch supporter of Ukrainian sovereignty. In a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg last month, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said he “is firmly in full solidarity with Ukraine, and of course it goes without saying that our support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, in the international context, the recognized borders of Ukraine are as stable as ever.” He added that, “it is important to continue our conversation about the situation, as well as the obligations we have in the Western Balkans to precisely prevent any escalation and prevent any bad influence from becoming a problem for our region.” Albania was one of the first allied parliaments to ratify Finland’s and Sweden’s NATO accession protocols. Earlier this year, NATO began efforts to transform the former communist-era Kučova airbase from an aircraft graveyard into a modern base for operations in the Western Balkans, EuroNews reported.
