Allegedly To Leak Military Information, Russian Birth Couple Charged With Spying In Australia

JAKARTA - Australia has charged two of its citizens who were born in Russia with a criminal act of spying, after allegedly obtaining military information that they will hand over to Russian authorities.

The married couple have been in Australia for more than 10 years. The two were arrested on Thursday at their home in Everton Park, the northern suburb of Brisbane, according to the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and the Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO).

The Russian-born woman, 40, is a soldier soldier of the army who worked as an information system technician in the Australian military (ADF) for several years, the two agencies said in a joint press conference on Friday.

She became an Australian citizen in 2016. Meanwhile, her husband, who was born in Russia, 62 years old, an independent worker, earned Australian citizenship in 2020.

"AFP will accuse these individuals of working together to access Australian Defense Force material related to Australia's national security interests," AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw said.

"No significant compromise," has been identified and no one else appears to be involved, Kershaw added, although he said the investigation was still in its early stages.

The pair appeared at the Brisbane Magistrate Court on Friday and was detained for attending the next court on September 20.

Australian Federal Police will accuse the woman of going to Russia without informing Australian authorities she was on long leave from the ADF last year.

"We alleg that when she was in Russia, she told her husband, who remained in Australia, about how to log into her official work account from their home in Brisbane," Kershaw said.

"We accuse her husband of accessing the requested material and will send it to his wife in Russia. We accuse them of seeking that information with the intention of giving it to Russian authorities," he explained.

Kershaw explained that the main focus of the investigation was whether the information was submitted to Russian authorities. If so, the allegations could be increased to espionage.

The investigation will cover how the woman obtained a security clearance to access sensitive ADF material, and how she was able to bypass the system to appear to be traveling undetected to Russia.

"There is some misleading information from his side about where he is suspected of being and which country," said Kershaw.

This is the first time espionage violations have been used since the new law was introduced in 2018.

The indictment prepares for espionage violations carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. The increased indictment carries a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison for life.

Separately, ASIO Director-General Mikemengatakan penangkapan tersebut menunjukkan kekuatan budaya keamanan nasional Australia, bukan kekurangannya.

"The threat of espionage is real. Many countries are trying to steal Australian secrets. We must not be naive and must not be complacent," he said.