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Australian police have charged a dual Russian-Australian citizen with foreign interference, alleging he joined the Ukrainian armed forces to collect information on Ukrainian troops and hand it to people he believed were tied to Russian intelligence.

Some shit you should know before you dig in: Australia has been one of Ukraine’s biggest backers since the 2022 invasion and has provided billions in weapons, cash, and humanitarian aid. That support has run alongside what Australian agencies describe as sustained Russian intelligence activity inside the country. Back in 2022, ASIO director Mike Burgess said his people had run a “hive of spies” out of the country. He wouldn’t name which country sent them; multiple outlets later said Russia. Last month, the Australian Signals Directorate and roughly 20 other agencies warned that Russian-linked hackers are probing Australian defense, telecom, energy, and financial networks over Australia’s support for Ukraine.

What’s going on now: In a notable development, the Australian Federal Police arrested 27-year-old Vladimir Teslov on Thursday in Sumner, out in Brisbane’s western suburbs. He is charged with attempting to engage in intentional foreign interference, which carries a maximum of 20 years.

According to Australian authorities, Teslov flew to Russia in October 2024 for military-style training, came home that December, and stayed in touch with people believed to be tied to Russian intelligence. In May 2025, he went to Ukraine and enlisted in its armed forces, where police allege he got his hands on details about Ukrainian troops (who they were, what units they served in, and where they were stationed) and then tried to pass the information back.

“It is alleged that this conduct created a risk to the safety and security of Ukrainian military personnel,” said AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett. The investigation, codenamed Operation Woodcreeper, started in June through the AFP and ASIO’s Counter Foreign Interference Task Force. Police searched five properties in Queensland on Aug. 20 and 21 and took phones, computers, and other material that forensic examiners will now go through.

Barrett said more arrests could follow, and that investigators are still working out whether Teslov volunteered himself or was recruited.

In a statement, the Russian Embassy in Australia said it was unaware of the case and learned about it from media coverage. It added, “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.”