On Saturday, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese accused Russian authorities of interfering in Australia’s trial of a Russian couple on espionage charges, demanding that Russia stop meddling in Australian domestic affairs.
According to Reuters, the Australian Federal Police stated on Friday that Russian-Australian citizens Kira Korolev and her husband Igor Korolev were arrested on suspicion of accessing sensitive materials related to Australian national security, but no major security breach was found.
The Russian embassy in Canberra issued a statement on the 12th, calling Australia’s spy charges against the Korolev couple an incitement of “anti-Russian paranoia.”
In a statement to the Russian news agency RIA, the Russian embassy said, “The purpose of this campaign is obvious – to stoke a new wave of anti-Russian paranoia here and divert attention of the Australian people from the many failed policies of the ruling Labor Party.”
Prime Minister Albanese told reporters on the 13th that Russia needs to “stop interfering in the domestic affairs of other sovereign countries.”
Albanese said in Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, “Russia needs to stop engaging in espionage activities here and around the world.”
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported on Saturday that the Russian embassy requested written information from Australian authorities regarding the situation of the Korolev couple, and is considering “appropriate consular assistance measures.”
The Russian embassy did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comments.
Court documents showed that the Korolev couple appeared in court on Friday at the Brisbane Magistrates Court, each charged with one count of preparing for espionage, which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. If there is direct evidence of contact between the defendants and a foreign government, the maximum penalty can be up to 25 years.
These charges are the first of their kind under Australian laws enacted in 2018, and the police may bring more charges.
The two defendants did not apply for bail and will be remanded in custody until their next court appearance on September 20th.
Australian authorities said that 40-year-old Kira is an information systems technician in the Australian Army, who failed to declare her trip to Russia and instructed her husband to log into her work account, obtain information, and send it to her, with the preparation to provide this information to the Russian authorities.
Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw stated that the harm brought by espionage can impact Australia’s sovereignty, national security, or way of life. The Federal Police are collaborating with the Defense Force to screen for any other security vulnerabilities within the military.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Australia has been one of the leading non-NATO countries in providing assistance to Ukraine, and has imposed sanctions on over a thousand Russian individuals and entities.
During the NATO summit held in Washington on July 11th, Australia announced a comprehensive military aid package of 250 million Australian dollars (170 million US dollars) to Kyiv.