A Russian-Australian dual citizen has been charged with foreign interference after allegedly travelling to Ukraine to obtain information about Ukrainian military operations and intending to pass it to Russia.
The Australian Federal Police announced the allegations after charging the 27-year-old overnight. The man, identified in court as Vladimir Teslov, was arrested yesterday in Sumner, in Brisbane’s west, although police described him as a Victorian resident.
Mr Teslov appeared in the Brisbane Magistrates Court today, facing a charge of attempting to engage in intentional foreign interference. The matter was adjourned until October 2.
AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett said investigators alleged Mr Teslov travelled to Russia in October 2024, where he underwent military-style training before returning to Australia.
Police allege he later travelled to Ukraine in May 2025 and joined the Ukrainian Armed Forces, allegedly to gain access to information concerning military personnel, units and locations.
According to the AFP, Mr Teslov then attempted to pass that information to people he believed were working for 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.”
Commissioner Barrett said there was “nothing to suggest there was or is any threat to Australia”.
The foreign interference offence carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
The AFP provided limited details about Mr Teslov, with Commissioner Barrett saying he was “unemployed” and had never worked for the Australian government or held a security clearance.
Police also seized “a number of electronic devices and various items relevant to the investigation”, which Commissioner Barrett said would be subjected to “extensive forensic examinations.”
It remains unclear whether Mr Teslov was working with other people in Australia. Commissioner Barrett said police could not rule out additional arrests.
“We’ve got a long way to go and, as I keep saying, these are very complex investigations,” she told journalists.
Commissioner Barrett defended the decision to pursue a foreign interference charge despite Ukraine appearing to be the primary target of the alleged activity 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.”
The case is the latest in a series of Australian investigations involving alleged Russian interference.
Australia has remained a significant supporter of Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion, providing about $1.8 billion in military, economic and humanitarian assistance over the past four years.
That support has coincided with increased scrutiny of alleged Russian espionage activity in Australia.
In 2024, Russian-born Australian citizens Kira and Igor Korolev, a married couple, were arrested and accused of attempting to obtain and transmit sensitive government information to Russia.
The charges against the pair were upgraded to conspiracy to commit espionage in June.
ASIO director Mike Burgess previously revealed that his agency had disrupted what he described as a “hive of spies” linked to an unnamed country in 2022. The network was allegedly attempting to secretly recruit Australians and obtain sensitive information.
Several media organisations subsequently reported that Russia was behind the network, although ASIO has not publicly confirmed its identity.
Last month, the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) and almost two dozen international partner agencies issued a joint warning that Russian-linked hackers were targeting critical Australian sectors, including defence, communications, energy and financial services.
In 2018, the Turnbull government announced the expulsion of two Russian diplomats whom it accused of being undeclared intelligence officers. The move formed part of coordinated international action against Moscow following the alleged nerve-agent attack on former Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal in the United Kingdom.
Australian authorities have also pursued alleged foreign intelligence activity involving China. This year, three Chinese nationals were charged with allegedly attempting to collect intelligence on a Buddhist group in Canberra on behalf of Chinese security agencies.
