Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese criticized the Russian Federation, commenting on the situation surrounding the arrest of a married couple on charges of espionage for Moscow.
„How about we try to stop interfering in the internal affairs of other sovereign states... Russia can understand this message. Back off”, he said, quoted by the ABC television channel.
The Albanians made a statement that the Russian Federation allegedly “does not respect international law”. "They should be treated with contempt. This is exactly what I feel for them”, said the Prime Minister.
On Friday, Australian police announced the arrest of a local couple on charges of espionage for Russia. According to the ABC TV channel, the detainees Kira and Igor Korolevy have Australian citizenship, but were born in the Russian Federation and also have Russian passports. According to investigators, the 40-year-old woman, who serves as an information technology specialist in the Australian Armed Forces, visited Russia without informing her superiors, where she allegedly intended to transfer data related to the Australian Armed Forces to the local country. Her 62-year-old husband allegedly helped her access electronic information for further forwarding.
According to the ABC, both have now appeared in Brisbane District Court where they have been charged. It is emphasized that they have refused to pay bail and remain in custody. At the same time, the Australian police still have no evidence that any information was actually passed on to the Russian side. According to ABC, the pair face up to 15 years in prison.
The Russian Embassy in Australia said Australian law enforcement authorities, with their statements in the case of alleged spying for Russia by two local citizens, are trying to spark a new wave of anti-Russian paranoia.