A private in the Australian army and her husband were denied bail last Friday after they were charged under the country’s 2018 espionage laws with spying on behalf of Russia.
Private Kira Korolev, 40, and her husband Igor, 62, are both Russian-born dual citizens. The couple did not enter a plea during the July 12 hearing and are expected to appear in federal court on September 20.
According to Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw, the Korolevs are accused of accessing classified Australian Defense Force documents of a national security interest with the intent of providing the information to Russian officials.
Kershaw told reporters that the central focus of the investigation is whether the Korolevs succeeded in handing over the material they obtained.
So far, the investigation has turned up “no significant compromise,” Kershaw said. He assured Australia’s Five Eyes partners — the US, UK, Canada, and New Zealand — that Australia would continue identifying and disrupting possible espionage.
The Russian embassy in Canberra denied the allegations against the Korolevs, saying in a statement that the charges were Australia’s attempt to gin up “another wave of anti-Russian paranoia.”
While Australian security forces have disrupted other Russian espionage efforts in recent years, the Korolovs are the first alleged operatives to face charges under the new sweeping espionage laws that also outlaw foreign interference in elections.
The Korolovs, who moved to Australia over a decade ago, were arrested at their home in Brisbane on July 11.
Kira Korolev works as an information systems technician with the Australian Defense Force and became a citizen in 2016. Igor Korolev, who gained citizenship in 2020, is self-employed.
According to the federal police, Kira Korolev secretly traveled to Russia last year while on extended leave. While she was gone, Igor Korolev accessed her work account from their home computer and forwarded classified material to her in Russia.
If convicted, the Korolevs each face a possible maximum sentence of 15 years. If the investigation produces evidence that the material reached Russian officials, the charges against them could be enhanced, pushing the maximum sentence to 25 years to life.
