The Supreme Court of Australia rejected Russiaʼs attempt to keep a plot of land in the countryʼs capital, Canberra, where Moscow planned to build a new embassy, the BBC reports.
In 2008, Russia acquired the right to lease a plot of land in Canberra, and in 2011 it already received permission to build its new embassy there. However, on 15 June 2023, the Australian government passed new laws that canceled the lease on national security grounds.
According to experts, the embassy that Moscow planned to build poses a risk of espionage, as it will be located only 400 meters from the Australian Parliament.
Kremlin spokesman Dmytro Peskov, in turn, called Australiaʼs decision a manifestation of "Russophobic hysteria, which is now widespread in the countries of the collective West."
The Supreme Court of Australia ruled that Russia must vacate the site.
"Recently, Russia is not very well versed in the law. We donʼt expect her to be able to talk about international law, given that they so consistently and so brazenly disregard it by invading Ukraine," the Australian prime minister noted.