The Russian-born Australian couple accused of espionage could lose their assets under a separate case brought by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) under proceeds of crime law. At stake is their Brisbane apartment and all their savings.
Last month, Kira Korolev, 40, and her husband Igor, 62, were charged with preparing an espionage offence over an alleged spying scheme targeting the defence department. They were the first people charged under a 2018 Australian national security law and have been in custody since their arrest.
If convicted, they face up to 15 years in prison, having allegedly given access to defence computer systems and unlawfully accessed, copied, or disseminated information related to national security.
It’s alleged that Kira Korolev travelled to Russia undeclared during her long-term leave from the Australian Defence Force (ADF), and while there, she instructed her husband how to log in to her official work account. She then guided him to access information and send it to her private email address.
The alleged offences were committed between Dec. 6, 2022, and July 11, 2024, in Brisbane and Russia.
Links to Russian Intelligence
According to court documents, Kira Korolev also maintained “a relationship with members or affiliates of Russian Federation intelligence services to provide the aforementioned information,” dating as far back as December 2022, right up to the point of her arrest.
The Queensland Supreme Court has made restraining orders on their property, worth more than $550,000 (US$358,000), along with multiple bank accounts and superannuation funds acquired by Kira Korolev while she was employed by the ADF as an information systems technician with the rank of private.
It’s understood she worked in signals in the 7 Combat Regiment, which deals in encrypted communication, though neither the ADF nor AFP will confirm it.
This is despite the ADF previously featuring her in one of its recruitment videos as a “model soldier.”
Meanwhile, Igor Korolev, who is an engineer, is charged with having unlawful access to Defence Department documents and national security information.
“So we are really confident about the integrity of the Defence Force’s security systems in terms of the way in which we are managing our information. And we are really confident that these individuals have not breached that,” he said.
The couple had been in Australia for about 10 years and were married when they arrived. Kira Korolev became an Australian citizen in 2016, and her husband in 2020.
The proceeds of crime and criminal cases against the pair remain before the courts, and the pair are due to reappear next month.
