Russian-born Australian couple accused of spying for Russia

“We allege that the woman made undeclared travel to Russia while on extended leave with the Australian Defence Force,” he said.

“At the moment, there has been some misrepresentation on her part about where she was and what country she was in. It was actually through the work of the foreign interference task force that we were able to find out what actually happened.”

According to Kershaw, Kira Korolev has been on leave with the Defence Force since 2023, and federal police allege she was in touch with her husband Igor in Australia and instructed him how to log into her official work account from her home in Brisbane.

“We allege that her husband obtained the required material and sent it to his wife in Russia. We allege that they sought this information with the intention of providing it to the Russian authorities,” he said.

He said whether the information was turned over “remains a focus of our investigation.”

Kershaw said the Korolevs were arrested by federal police at their home in Everton Park, Brisbane, on Thursday morning and charged later that day with preparation for espionage, which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.

“The Australian Federal Police will allege that these individuals conspired to access Australian Defence Force material relevant to Australia’s national security interests,” he said.

Kershaw said no major safety concerns had been identified and criminal threats had been thwarted.

“Our Five Eyes partners and the Australian Government can be confident that strong partnerships within the Counter Foreign Interference Taskforce mean we will continue to identify and disrupt espionage and foreign interference activities,” Kershaw said.

Kira Korolev received Australian citizenship in 2016. Igor received Australian citizenship in 2020. Asked why the Defence Force did not identify the risk when it vetted the woman, Kershaw said the matter was being investigated. Burgess said vetting in itself was not a solution.

He said the task force learned of the alleged espionage through the Department of Defense, which allowed the task force to intervene and “take control of the operation.”

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Kershaw said he would not say whether the men’s alleged activities were linked to Ukraine, the besieged country that just received $250 million in military aid from Australia to counter a Russian invasion.

Burgess and Kershaw said the two agencies were investigating whether Kira Korolev had specific intent to engage in espionage when he joined the ADF, whether the couple came to Australia on a specific mission or whether they had been recently recruited by Russian intelligence.

Kershaw said the investigation has not turned up any other suspects so far, “but as you know, usually when we arrest an individual, that’s when the investigation begins.”

Asked whether the two men had contact or had any involvement with Russian diplomats in Australia, Kershaw said: “We will look into that as well.”

Burgess said it had been 70 years since Petrov’s defection in 1954, when a Soviet spy disguised as a Russian diplomat defected to Australia. Burgess had a message for Russian spies in the West: “If you want to share your secrets, contact us.”

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