Australia charges Russian-born Army private, husband with espionage

July 12 (UPI) -- Australia charged two Russian-born citizens with espionage charges for allegedly working to take military information for authorities in Moscow., authorities announced Friday.

The Australian Federal Police arrested a 40-year-old Australian Defense Force Army private and her husband, a 62-year-old self-employed man at their home in Brisbane on charges that they sought to obtain Australian Defense Force material to share with Russian officials.

They each face one count of preparing for an espionage offense which could lead to a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.

The case marks the first espionage charges issued in Australia since new laws were adopted in 2018.

The police said the woman took an undeclared trip to Russia without her husband in 2023 while on long-term leave from the ADF.

Police alleged that while in Russia, the woman instructed her husband how to log into her official work account and guide him to access specific information to send to her private email account.

The Australian Defense Forces said it has suspended the woman from service since her arrests.

"Defense is aware an Australian Defense Force member has been arrested and charged with an espionage-related offense," the ADF said in a statement . " Defense takes all breaches of security seriously. Defense continues to work with the Counter Foreign Interference Task Force.

In a news conference after the arrest, officials warned that espionage is not a victimless crime and often undermines the sovereignty of countries like Australia. They asked the public to identify law enforcement if they were suspicious of any suspected espionage activity.