Canberra charges Russian-born Australian couple with espionage

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) - Canberra has arrested a Russian-born Australian couple on espionage charges, police said Friday.

The two have been accused of “obtaining” Australian Defence Force (ADF) material to “share with Russian authorities,” said a joint statement by the Australian Federal Police and the Australian Security Intelligence Organization.

Whether the material, dubbed as “national security interests,” was passed to Russian authorities “remains under investigation” as the duo face Brisbane Magistrates Court.

The accused include a 40-year-old woman, who was an ADF army private, and a man, 62, a self-employed laborer, who were arrested at their home in the Brisbane suburb of Everton Park on Thursday morning.

They face “one count each of preparing for an espionage offence, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years’ imprisonment,” the statement said.

Police said the pair was "working together" to obtain the information, it added.

According to the details of the case, the lady was on a “long-term leave from the ADF since 2023” during which she “undertook non-declared travel to Russia and without the man.”

“While the man remained in Australia, the woman instructed him on how to log into her official work account, and guided him to access specific information to send directly to her private email account while she was in Russia,” the statement said.

It noted that 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.”

Police said the case was the first time when an espionage offense had been charged in Australia since new laws were introduced by the Commonwealth in 2018.