A Brisbane-based Australian Defence Force (ADF) private and her husband have been charged with being Russian spies.
Australian Federal Police (AFP) Commissioner Reece Kershaw said two Russian-born Australian citizens, who have been accused of obtaining ADF material to share with Russian authorities, would face Brisbane Magistrates Court Friday, charged with an espionage-related offence.
Commissioner Kershaw said the AFP arrested a 40-year-old woman, who was an ADF Army Private, and a man, 62, a self-employed labourer, at their home in the Brisbane suburb of Everton Park Thursday morning (July 11).
He said the married pair was charged that day with one count each of preparing for an espionage offence, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years’ imprisonment.
“It is the first time an espionage offence has been laid in Australia since new laws were introduced by the Commonwealth in 2018,” Commissioner Kershaw said.
He said the Counter Foreign Interference Taskforce (CFITF), which included the AFP, ASIO and other Commonwealth partners, had dedicated significant resources and capabilities to the operation.
“The public can be assured there is no ongoing threat and the CFITF has disrupted the alleged criminality.”
Commissioner Kershaw said the AFP would allege the pair was working together to obtain sensitive information.
“The AFP will allege that while on long-term leave from the ADF since 2023, the woman undertook non-declared travel to Russia with and without the man.
“The AFP will allege that 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.”
Commissioner Kershaw said the AFP would also allege 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.
He said whether that information was provided to Russian authorities remained under investigation as does the conduct of the pair while overseas.
