Two Russian-born Australian citizens have been arrested and charged in the country for spying on behalf of Russia as part of a "complex" law enforcement operation codenamed BURGAZADA.
This includes a 40-year-old woman, an Australian Defence Force (ADF) Army Private, and her husband, a 62-year-old self-employed laborer. Media reports have identified them as Kira Korolev and Igor Korolev, respectively, noting that they had been in Australia for over a decade.
The married couple were arrested at their home in the Brisbane suburb of Everton Park on July 11, 2024, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) said in a statement. They have been charged with one count each of preparing for an espionage offense, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years' imprisonment.
"It is the first time an espionage offense has been laid in Australia since new laws were introduced by the Commonwealth in 2018," the AFP said.
The federal law enforcement agency has alleged the pair colluded together to obtain sensitive information after the woman traveled to Russia while on a long-term leave from the ADF since 2023.
She is said to have instructed her husband, who remained in Australia, to log into her official work account and instructed him to access specific information and send it directly to her private email account while she was overseas.
"The woman's ADF account credentials were used on a number of occasions to access sensitive ADF information, with the intent to provide it to Russian authorities," the AFP said.
Although the exact documents that were accessed were not disclosed, the AFP said they related to Australian national security interests. An investigation into whether the information was handed over to Russia remains ongoing.
"Espionage is an insidious crime, and at a time of global instability, state actors have ramped-up their efforts to obtain information held by Western democracies, including Australia," AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw said.
"Espionage is not a victimless crime. It has the potential to impact on Australia's sovereignty, safety and way of life."
The arrests mark the third time individuals have been charged with espionage or foreign interference related offenses since their incorporation into the Criminal Code Act 1995.
Last April, a New South Wales man, 55, was charged with providing information about "Australian defense, economic and national security arrangements" to two individuals associated with a foreign intelligence service who are suspected to be undertaking intelligence gathering activities.
Then in late February 2024, a 68-year-old man from Melbourne was sentenced to two years and nine months in prison for attempting to influence a Federal Parliamentarian on behalf of a foreign government.
Mike Burgess, Director-General of Security in charge of the Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO), said the ongoing threat of espionage is "real," and that "multiple countries are seeking to steal Australia's secrets."
Update
The Embassy of Russia in Australia shared the following statement on its Facebook page -
The press conference of AFP and ASIO chiefs on 12 July was clearly intended to launch another wave of anti-Russian paranoia in Australia. Theatrical tricks were used like talking to imaginary "Russian spies" presumed to be all around. The Embassy has requested official written information from the Australian authorities on the situation and status of Mrs Kira Korolev and Mr Igor Korolev. We'll consider appropriate measures of consular assistance.
