Australia has blocked the construction of a new Russian embassy near its parliament

Australia has blocked the construction of a new Russian embassy near its parliament due to the risk of espionage.

The BBC writes about it.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the intelligence services had given "very clear security advice". The new law, specially designed to stop construction, was adopted on June 15. It will not affect existing Russian embassies. The new legislation also recognizes that Russia may be entitled to financial compensation.

Since 2008, Russia has been leasing a plot of land approximately 400 meters from the parliament building. The Russians laid the foundation for the new embassy, but construction was slow. After the start of a full-scale Russian war in Ukraine, relations between Australia and the Russian Federation soured, and the Australians decided to cancel the permit for new construction.

Last month, the Federal Court rejected an earlier attempt to cancel the lease. This prompted new legislation.

"We do not expect that Russia can talk about international law, given that it so consistently and so brazenly denies invading Ukraine," the Prime Minister Albanese noted.

• Russia already has an embassy in suburban Canberra. The Russians planned to build a new building in Yarralumla and move the embassy there. For this purpose, they were given a lease of land in 2008, and in 2011 they were granted permits for work and construction. According to representatives of the National Capital Authority, Russia promised to complete the construction in three years, but did not finish the project.