Australian Spycatchers Snatch Pair of Married Russian Operatives

A 40-year-old Australian Defence Force (ADF) army private and her 62-year-old husband have been arrested and charged with spying for Russia, as part of a sting operation named BURGAZADA.

The pair, Kira and Igor Korolev, have lived in Australia for more than a decade and were arrested at home in Brisbane on July 11. Each has been charged with an espionage-related offense, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.

Though the Australian Federal Police (AFP) reassured the public that there is no ongoing threat, the pair were reportedly working together to obtain sensitive information from the ADF for the Kremlin.

Kira Korolev allegedly traveled to Russia many times while on long-term leave from the ADF. During that time, her husband would log into her official work account, per her instructions, and access information to send to her private email while she was in Russia. The AFP alleges that her ADF credentials were used to access sensitive ADF information on multiple occasions to provide to Russian authorities. 

"Espionage is an insidious crime, and at a time of global instability, state actors have ramped-up their efforts to obtain information held by Western democracies, including Australia," said AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw.

This is only the third time that the AFP has charged individuals with espionage or foreign interference offences since 1995.