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Teslov charged in Brisbane
Australian Federal Police charged 27-year-old dual Russian-Australian citizen Vladimir Teslov with foreign interference after alleging he travelled to Russia in October 2024 for “military-style training” and then returned to Australia.
“identified in court as Vladimir Teslov”
Investigators allege Teslov travelled to Ukraine in May 2025, joined the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and “gained access to information relating to their military personnel, units and locations”.
AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett said the suspect then shared the information obtained in Ukraine with “individuals he believed were acting on behalf of Russian intelligence services,” creating a risk to Ukrainian military personnel.
Police said the case was set for court in Brisbane on Friday, with the matter adjourned until October 2 in Brisbane Magistrates Court.
No threat to Australia
Barrett told reporters there was “nothing to suggest there was or is any threat to Australia,” while the ABC reported the AFP said “We don’t want Australia to become a safe haven for people who are undertaking foreign interference on behalf of other countries.”
The Brisbane Times said Teslov was arrested on Thursday afternoon in Sumner, in Brisbane’s south-west, after an investigation by the Counter Foreign Interference Task Force.
Court proceedings included an application by Dylan Kerr, for the AFP Commissioner, to suppress the identities of AFP members involved in the investigation, which Magistrate Lewis Shillito granted.
The Brisbane Times also reported that Teslov was remanded in custody for a further six weeks and that his case was scheduled to be heard again on October 2.
Broader foreign interference
The case was framed as part of a wider pattern of foreign interference concerns in Australia, with the ABC noting that since 2020 “an Australian task force has charged eight people with offences of espionage or foreign interference.”
“Since 2020, an Australian task force has charged eight people”
Al Jazeera reported that Australian Federal Police and the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation conducted the investigation, and that ASIO Deputy Director-General Claire McGuinness said, “We have zero tolerance.”
The ABC said police seized “a number of electronic devices and various items relevant to the investigation” for “extensive forensic examinations,” and Barrett said there was “a possibility that there could be further arrests.”
In parallel, Al Jazeera said Russia’s embassy in Australia told the AFP it had “no knowledge of the case,” adding that it had received no official requests or notifications from Australian authorities or the individual concerned.