Australian couple charged with planning espionage for Russia

TTwo Russian-born Australian citizens were arrested on Thursday, Australian police said on Friday. The couple are accused of accessing sensitive military material in order to hand it over to Russian authorities.

They appeared in court on Friday and were both charged with planning an espionage offence – which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. According to a police press release, this is the first time an espionage offence has been charged in Australia since the country passed new laws in 2018.

“Espionage is an insidious crime and at a time of global instability, state actors have stepped up their efforts to obtain intelligence held in Western democracies, including Australia,” said the state’s police commissioner, Reece Kershaw. “Espionage is a crime committed in secret and in broad daylight, but Australia is well placed, thanks to its sophisticated national security community, to identify and stop those who seek to undermine our democracy.”

At a press conference in Canberra on Friday morning, Kershaw said a 40-year-old Australian Defence Force soldier who worked 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 operation called “Operation BURGAZADA”.

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

The pair – both of whom held Russian passports, had lived in Australia for more than a decade and eventually obtained Australian citizenship – worked together “to gain access to Australian Defence Force material related to Australia’s national security interests,” Kershaw claimed.

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

Police allege that the woman made an unregistered trip to Russia while on long-term leave from the army since 2023 and that she instructed her husband in Australia to log into her official work account using her credentials to access certain national security-related information and send it directly to her via private email.

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

Australia is an important military and intelligence partner of the United States and, together with Canada, New Zealand and Great Britain, forms the so-called Five Eyes alliance.

Relations between Moscow and Canberra have been strained since the Ukraine war, and Russia added Australia to its list of “unfriendly” countries following the sanctions. In 2023, Russia accused Australia of “Russophobic hysteria” after the government terminated a lease on a piece of land where Russia planned to build its new embassy, ​​citing security concerns. Australia has supplied defense equipment to Ukraine, most recently announcing a military aid package worth nearly 250 million Australian dollars ($169 million) at the NATO summit in Washington.

Australia’s relations with China, one of Russia’s few allies, have also been strained in recent years. Canberra has repeatedly accused Beijing of cyberattacks and cyber espionage.

“Espionage is not an old-fashioned Cold War concept,” Mike Burgess, director general of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), said during the briefing. “Several countries are trying to steal Australia’s secrets,” he said. “If you spy in this country, we’re looking for you; if you’re being spied on in this country, we’re looking for you.”