Australian army private and her husband accused of spying for Russia

Associated Press

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — An Australian army private and her husband accused of spying for Russia have been denied bail on the first charges against suspected operatives under Australia’s updated 2018 espionage laws. Kira and Igor Korolev are Russian-born Australian citizens. They did not enter pleas at their court appearance Friday. The charge alleges they sought information with the intention of providing it to Russian authorities. Whether information was passed to Russia is still being investigated. The Russian Embassy dismissed the allegations as intended to prompt “anti-Russian paranoia.” Australian security forces have disrupted other alleged Russian spies in recent years.