Charges upgraded for Russian couple accused of spying on Defence systems

A Russian couple accused of accessing Australian Defence systems to send information back to the Kremlin could now face 25 years to life behind bars after having their charges upgraded.

Kira Korolev had been working for the Australian Army for several years as an information systems technician, and held a security clearance with the Defence Force when she was arrested in 2024.

Police have alleged she travelled to Russia while on long-term leave from the army in 2023, and while overseas told her husband, Igor Korolev, how to log into her work account to send Defence material to her private email address.

Igor Korolev, a labourer, was also arrested at their home in Everton Park, on Brisbane’s north side.

“We allege her husband would access requested material and would send [it] to his wife in Russia. We allege they sought that information with the intention of providing it to Russian authorities,” former Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw said at the time.

Kira Korolev’s travel to Russia was undeclared, police said at the time, and she travelled both with and without her husband.

The pair were initially charged with preparing for an espionage offence, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years’ imprisonment.

However, on Monday, in the Brisbane Magistrates Court, Commonwealth Prosecutor Ellie McDonald said the prosecution would offer no evidence regarding that charge.

It was dropped by Deputy Chief Magistrate Anthony Gett, and replaced with a charge of conspiracy to commit espionage, alleged to have been committed between January 20, 2023, and July 11, 2024, at Everton Park and the Russian Federation.

Under Commonwealth law, the charge can carry a penalty of between 25 years to life imprisonment, depending on the accused’s level of intent or recklessness to national security.

The Korolevs appeared via video link from custody for the hearing. Kira Korolev sat with her hands clasped, appearing to listen intently. At times, the pair appeared to gesture to each other.

Anastasia Stoenko, representing Igor Korolev, asked for the court to be adjourned briefly at the beginning of the hearing so she could speak with her client. She said he had a rudimentary understanding of English and wanted to ensure he understood the new charge being laid.

The court heard there had been discussion over how some of the material, including the statement of facts in the case, could be provided to Korolevs while in custody, given there were pseudonyms and protection orders over some of the information.

McDonald said some material that needed to be protected might not fit under those orders, but should not be left inside the custody facilities the Korolevs were currently being held.

“Redactions were made … so that that statement of facts could be provided and now that process is currently being done for this current version of statement of facts and I understand that process will take a few weeks,” McDonald said.

The court heard varying the orders required consent from the AFP and the Department of Defence.

Igor Korolev’s lawyer said she had made multiple requests to both, and in some cases it had taken months to receive acknowledgment of those requests.

McDonald clarified to the court that the Korolevs were entitled to see the material.

“It’s merely the case of it being left in the custodial environment – that’s the concern,” McDonald said, adding it was difficult to distinguish between the sensitive and non-sensitive material.

Stoenko said there were millions and millions of pages of evidence, and limited time for the Korolevs’ legal team to go through them.

Gett adjourned the matter to August.

The allegations against the Korolevs triggered national concerns over foreign interference, but authorities at the time said no significant security compromise had been identified.

Multiple devices were seized from the pair’s Brisbane home. Prosecutors have previously told the court the evidence required translation, with more than 1.3 million pages included in the case. Some of the documents and names in them have been suppressed to protect national security.

Kira Korolev became an Australian citizen in 2016, while her husband became a citizen in 2020.

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