Under the charge of attempted foreign interference, he faces up to 20 years’ imprisonment.
It is noted that “at this stage, there are no grounds to believe that there is or has been any threat to Australia, but the investigation is ongoing”.
In July 2024, Kira and Igor Korolev were arrested in a Brisbane suburb on suspicion of spying for Russia. Kira Koroleva worked as an information systems specialist in the Australian Army and had access to classified information. According to the investigation, she went on holiday to Russia, whilst her husband logged into her work email account, gained access to the requested materials and sent them to his wife. The police stated that the espionage operation ‘had been foiled’. Their trial has not yet taken place.