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Australian soldier charged with spying for Russia


An Australian soldier and her husband have been arrested and each charged with spying for Russia.

Investigators say the pair – both Australian citizens of Russian descent – obtained Australian Defence Force (ADF) documents to share with Moscow.

However, Australian police said “no significant compromise” of Australian secrets had been discovered.

It is the first time Australia’s tougher foreign interference laws – introduced in 2018 – have been used to charge espionage.

The 40-year-old woman, a private, and her 62-year-old husband are due to appear in Brisbane court later on Friday, each charged with one count of preparation for espionage.

Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw said the woman had worked as an information systems technician in the military for many years and had a security clearance.

He alleges she secretly travelled to Russia while on ADF leave, then instructed her husband to access her work account and send sensitive material so she could forward it to Russian authorities.

Mr Kershaw said the investigation into whether they had received any documents was still ongoing and charges could be escalated.

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