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Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Russia must “stand down” and rejected claims that the arrest of a Brisbane-based couple on charges of spying for Moscow was fuelling “anti-Russian paranoia”.
Albanese said Russia had engaged in “espionage here and around the world” and had “no credibility.”
“Russia can get the message: Back off,” Obama said at an event in Brisbane on Saturday.
“What if you got out of Ukraine and stopped the illegal and immoral war you are involved in, and what if you tried to stop interfering in the internal affairs of other sovereign states.
“This country does not respect international law, and it must be treated with contempt, and that is what I hold for it.”
The prime minister’s response came after the Russian embassy responded to the arrest of a 40-year-old woman and her 62-year-old husband on espionage charges.
In a post on the X website, the Russian embassy in Canberra accused the Australian police of fanning anti-Russian propaganda.
The post read: “The press conference held by the heads of Agence France-Presse and the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation on July 12 was clearly intended to unleash another wave of anti-Russian paranoia in Australia.
“Theatrical tricks were used, such as talking to fictional ‘Russian spies’ who were supposed to be everywhere.”
The embassy added that it had sent a written request regarding the status of the detained couple.
Russian-born Igor and Kyra Korolev, now Australian citizens, were reportedly arrested at their Brisbane home on Thursday and are accused of accessing national security information from the Australian military.
Police said the woman, 40, was a soldier in the Australian Army and worked as an information systems technician. She allegedly travelled to Russia undeclared while on long-term leave from the military. She reportedly asked her self-employed husband to log into her official account at their home in Australia to access defence materials.
Police said her husband had access to the material and sent it to her in Russia.
The couple appeared in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Friday and will be remanded in custody until their next hearing on September 20.
They are the first Australians to be charged under the country’s sweeping espionage laws introduced in 2018. They face a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison if convicted.
The couple were detained after a “lengthy and complex investigation,” said Mike Burgess, director general of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation.
Local media reported that if sufficient evidence is found to prove their involvement in leaking classified information to Russia, the charges could be upgraded to disciplinary action. In that case, the maximum possible prison sentence upon conviction could be 25 years or life in prison.
Mr Albanese said he had confidence in Australia’s national security agencies. “The threats we face are fast-paced. They are constantly trying to find ways to interfere and harm our national interests, which is why our agencies are constantly monitoring their performance,” he said.
