Albanese tells Russia to ‘back off’ after Moscow condemns Australia’s ‘paranoia’ for espionage

Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese told Russia to “back off” and rejected claims that the arrest of a Brisbane-based couple accused of spying for Moscow was fuelling “anti-Russian paranoia”.

Mr Albanese said Russia engaged in “espionage here and around the world” and had “no credibility”.

“Russia can get the message: back off,” he said at an event in Brisbane on Saturday.

“How about you get out of Ukraine and stop the illegal and immoral war that you’re engaged in and how about you try to stop interfering in domestic affairs of other sovereign nations.

“This is a country that has no respect for international law, and they should be regarded with contempt, which is what I have for them.”

The prime minister’s response came after the Russian embassy reacted to the arrest of a 40-year-old woman and her 62-year-old husband for an espionage offence.

In a post on X, the Russian embassy in Canberra accused Australia’s police of fuelling anti-Russian propaganda.

The post said: “The press conference of AFP and ASIO chiefs on 12 July was clearly intended to launch another wave of anti-Russian paranoia in Australia.

“Theatrical tricks were used like talking to imaginary ‘Russian spies’ presumed to be all around.”

The embassy added that they had sent a written request on the status of the arrested couple.

The duo, Igor and Kira Korolev, are reportedly Russian-born but now hold Australian citizenship, and were arrested in their home in Brisbane on Thursday. They are accused of accessing national security-related information from the Australian military.

The woman, 40, was a private in the Australian Army and worked as an information systems technician, police said. She allegedly travelled to Russia without declaring it during a long-term leave from the military. She reportedly told her husband, a self-employed labourer, to log into her official account at home in Australia to access defence materials.

The police have said her husband accessed the material and sent it to her in Russia.

The couple appeared in Brisbane’s magistrates court on Friday and will be held in custody until their next hearing on 20 September.

They are the first Australians to be charged under the country’s sweeping espionage laws enacted in 2018. They face a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison if convicted.

Mike Burgess, director general of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, said the couple were held after a "lengthy and complex investigation".

If sufficient evidence is found that they indeed shared the classified information with Russia, the charges could be upgraded, local media reported. In that case, the potential maximum prison sentence upon conviction would be 25 years or life.

Mr Albanese has said he has faith in Australia’s national security agencies. “The threats to us are nimble,” he said. “They’re constantly trying to find ways to engage and to damage our national interest, and that’s why our agencies ensure that they are constantly monitoring their performance.”