Australian Soldier and her Husband charged by Australian Government with Espionage

Two Australian citizens, originally from Russia, have been charged with espionage after an investigation by national intelligence agencies.

Forty-year-old Kira Korolev and Igor Korolev, 62, are accused of working together to obtain sensitive information regarding national security interests.

The Russian-born Australian citizens were arrested at their Everton Park home early on Friday morning over allegedly preparing espionage.

The extensive investigation – known as Operation BURGAZADA – has led to the Australian Defence Force (ADF) employee and her self-employed labourer husband being the first to be charged for espionage since foreign interference laws were introduced in 2018.

As an ADF private, Ms Korolev was required to report any overseas travel which she did however suspicions were raised when Ms Korolev travelled to her home country Russia during a time the Australian Government advised that Australian's should not travel to the country.

While she was on those trips, Ms Korolev is alleged to have instructed her husband on how to log into her work account and access material to send to her.

Given she would have reported to the ADF she was out of the country in addition to the travel advice defiance, her account being used would have been a trigger for the Authorities.

Police will allege the pair accessed the information with the intention to unlawfully provide it to Russian authorities — whether the information was successfully shared is still a subject of Operation BURGAZADA's investigation.

Ms Korolev appeared separately to her Husband in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Friday morning.

Proceedings were short in duration and neither party applied for bail.

They are yet to enter any formal pleas.

They were remanded in custody and are due back in court on September 20.