Australian military woman arrested for spying for Russia

Investigators claim that the couple - both Australian citizens of Russian descent - obtained Australian Defense Force (ADF) materials to share with Moscow. However, Australian police assert that "no significant compromise" of military secrets was discovered.

This marks the first instance where the tougher foreign interference laws introduced in Australia in 2018 have been used to bring espionage charges.

Kira Koroleva, a 40-year-old army private, and her 62-year-old husband Igor Korolev appeared in court in Brisbane on one count of preparing for espionage, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 15 years.

Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw stated that the couple had lived in Australia for over ten years before the alleged offense, and both became citizens a few years ago.

Igor worked as a self-employed laborer, while Kira was an information systems technician in the army, for which she had clearance, according to the police.

Kershaw claims that she secretly traveled to Russia while on leave from the ADF and then instructed Igor to access her work account and send secret materials so she could forward them to the Russian authorities.

Russian spies in Western countries

Earlier, a spy was detained in Romania who was passing secret data to Moscow regarding military aid intended for Ukraine. According to available information, he was gathering details on the characteristics and quantity of weapons, as well as their delivery routes.

At the same time, a former officer of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution and Counterterrorism was arrested in Austria on suspicion of spying for Russia. The Austrian authorities have not yet disclosed details of the case, but it is reported that he may have had access to information about the activities of Russian intelligence services in the country.