A Russian Australian man has been charged with foreign interference after he allegedly travelled to Ukraine to collect information about Ukrainian military operations, with the intention to cipher that information back to Russia.
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) have revealed the allegations after charging the dual citizen overnight.
The 27-year-old was arrested yesterday in Sumner, in Brisbane's west, but the AFP said he was a "Victorian resident". The man was identified in court as Vladimir Teslov.
He has been charged with attempting to engage in intentional foreign interference and had his matter heard in the Brisbane Magistrates Court today, where it was adjourned until October 2.
AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett said investigators would allege that Mr Teslov travelled to Russia in October 2024, where he undertook military-style training before returning to Australia.
The AFP alleges that Mr Teslov travelled to Ukraine in May 2025, where he joined Ukrainian Armed Forces to gain access to information relating to their military personnel, units and locations.
He then allegedly attempted to provide the information to individuals he believed were acting on behalf of Russian intelligence.
"It is alleged that this conduct created a risk to the safety and security of Ukrainian military personnel," Commissioner Barrett said.
"We allege elements of this offending occurred in Australia and offshore."
She also said there was "nothing to suggest there was or is any threat to Australia".
The foreign interference charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in jail.
The commissioner provided little information about Mr Teslov but said he was "unemployed" and had not worked for the Australian government or held any sort of security clearance.
She also said police had seized "a number of electronic devices and various items relevant to the investigation" which she said would undergo "extensive forensic examinations."
It's not clear if Mr Teslov was working with any other associates in Australia, and the commissioner said there was "a possibility that there could be further arrests".
"We've got a long way to go and, as I keep saying, these are very complex investigations," she told journalists.
She also said it was appropriate to charge Mr Teslov with foreign interference, even though his primary target appears to be Ukraine rather than Australia.
"We don't want Australia to become a safe haven for people who are undertaking foreign interference on behalf of other countries," she said.
"So this sends a strong message that the counter-foreign interference task force, led by the AFP and ASIO, has all of the skills and capabilities to be able to identify, disrupt and take prosecution action when we see that there are individuals in our country who are undertaking foreign interference acts on behalf of other countries."
In a statement, the Russian Embassy in Canberra told the ABC it only "became aware of the situation through media reports".
"At this stage, no official requests or notifications have been received by the Embassy or the Consulate General in Sydney, either from the Australian authorities or from the individual concerned," it said.
"We are currently using the available channels and resources to establish the circumstances of the case."
Russian foreign interference in Australia
It is not the first time that police have accused Russia of orchestrating foreign interference in Australia.
Australia has been one of Ukraine's most prominent supporters after Russia's invasion and has funnelled about $1.8 billion to the country in military, economic and humanitarian support over the past four years.
That seems to have coincided with a campaign of Russian espionage in Australia.
In 2024, two Russian-born Australian citizens, married couple Kira and Igor Korolev, were arrested and accused of allegedly attempting to gather and send state secrets to Russia.
In June, the charges against them were upgraded to conspiracy to commit espionage.
ASIO director Mike Burgess said his agency had forced out a "hive of spies" from an unnamed country in 2022. They were said to be trying to covertly recruit Australians and steal sensitive information.
Multiple media outlets later reported that Russia was the country running that network, although ASIO has never publicly confirmed this.
Last month, the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) and nearly two dozen partner agencies issued a joint warning accusing Russian-linked hackers of targeting critical Australian industries, including defence, communications, energy and financial services.
In 2018, the Turnbull government announced it was expelling two Russian diplomats, who it said were undeclared intelligence operatives, as part of global action against Moscow over an alleged nerve agent attack on a former Russian spy living in the UK.
