Australia Arrests Two Russian-Born Citizens Accused of Planning Espionage

Two Russian-born Australian citizens were arrested Thursday, Australian police said Friday. The married pair are accused of accessing sensitive military material with the intent to provide it to Russian authorities.

They appeared in a court on Friday, each charged with one count of preparing for an espionage offense—which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison—marking the first time an espionage offense has been laid in Australia since the country introduced new laws in 2018, per a police press release.

“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,” said federal police commissioner Reece Kershaw. “Espionage is a crime that is committed in the shadows and in daylight, but Australia, through its mature national security community, is well-placed to identify and disrupt those trying to undermine our democracy.”

In a press briefing in Canberra on Friday morning, Kershaw said that a 40-year-old woman who was an Australian Defense Force private working as an information systems technician for the army and her 62-year-old self-employed husband were arrested at their home near Brisbane as part of an Australian multi-agency effort called “Operation BURGAZADA.”

Australian media later identified the couple as Kira and Igor Korolev and reported that their case was adjourned to Sept. 20. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, court documents tabled for Kira Korolev’s hearing reveal she is accused of providing unlawful access to defense computer systems, copying and disseminating information, and maintaining relations with Russian Federation intelligence services between Dec. 6, 2022, and July 11, 2024.

The couple—both of whom had Russian passports and who had lived in Australia for more than 10 years, each eventually obtaining citizenship—worked together “to access Australian Defense Force material that related to Australia’s national security interests,” Kershaw alleged.

“Whether that information was handed over remains a key focus of our investigation,” Kershaw said, adding that “no significant compromise has been identified at this stage.”

Police allege that the woman undertook non-declared travel to Russia during long-term leave from the army since 2023, and that she instructed her husband back in Australia to log into her official work account using her credentials to access specific, national security-related information to send directly to her via a private email.

“The public can be assured there is no ongoing threat,” the press release stated. “This alleged criminality has been disrupted,” Kershaw said during the briefing. “Our Five-Eyes partners and the Australian Government can be confident that the robust partnerships within the Counter Foreign Interference Task Force mean we will continue to identify and disrupt espionage and foreign interference activity.”

Australia is a significant military and intelligence partner of the U.S., along with Canada, New Zealand, and the U.K., comprising the so-called Five Eyes alliance. 

Moscow-Canberra relations have been strained since the Ukraine war, and Russia has included Australia in its list of “unfriendly” countries after being hit with sanctions. In 2023, Russia accused Australia of “Russophobic hysteria” after the government canceled, citing security concerns, a lease on land where Russia wanted to build its new embassy. Australia has supplied defense equipment to Ukraine, most recently announcing a military assistance package worth nearly 250 million Australian dollars ($169 million) at the NATO Summit in Washington.

Australia has also in recent years developed fraught ties with Indo-Pacific rival China—one of Russia’s few allies. Canberra has, on several instances, also accused Beijing of cyberattacks and cyberespionage.

“Espionage is not some quaint cold war notion,” Australian Security Intelligence Organisation director-general Mike Burgess said during the briefing. “Multiple countries are seeking to steal Australia’s secrets,” he said. “If you are spying in this country, we are looking for you; if you are being spied on in this country, we are looking out for you.”