An Australian military woman and her husband were detained on suspicion of espionage for Russia

An Australian military woman and her husband were detained at their home in Everton Park, a suburb of Brisbane (Australia), on suspicion of spying for Russia.

This is reported by the BBC and ABC News.

The suspects are 40-year-old Kira Koroleva and 62-year-old Ihor Korolev. Both are from the Russian Federation, but are Australian citizens. Police believe they may have obtained "materials" and data about the Australian Armed Forces to share with Moscow. Koroleva secretly traveled to Russia while on vacation, and then asked her husband to retrieve data from her work computer and send her confidential materials.

According to Australian law, as a member of the military, Koroleva was required to report any overseas travel, but failed to do so. It is not yet known whether the couple passed any secret data to Moscow. The investigation is still establishing this.

Koroleva and her husband appeared in court in Brisbane on Friday on one count of conspiracy to commit espionage, which carries a maximum jail term of 15 years. If Korolevaʼs guilt is proven, her punishment will be more severe.

Author: Denys Podobryi.