Alleged Russian spies purportedly speak out in prison recordings

A woman’s voice in a recording aired by a Kremlin-controlled television network says she regrets moving to another country and wanted to return. The audio is purportedly that of Kira Korolev, a former Australian Army private accused of spying for Russia.

“I don't care that they're listening to our conversation right now,” the woman says. “I made a mistake when I migrated to a different country, and I wanted to return. But unfortunately, we were arrested.”

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I don't care that they're listening to our conversation right now. I made a mistake when I migrated to a different country, and I wanted to return. But unfortunately, we were arrested.

Kira Korolev and her husband, Igor, are being held in separate Queensland prisons while they await trial on espionage-related charges. Authorities accuse the couple of working together to obtain sensitive information linked to Australia’s national security. They have remained silent in Australia for two years, but the recordings and interviews released by the Russian network claim to show them discussing their arrest, the criminal case and their views of Australian life.

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Russia Today, now called RT, has long been known as an organisation that distributes propaganda effectively.

ABC Investigations could not independently verify the audio. Matthew Sussex, an expert in Russian strategic policy at the Australian National University, urged caution, particularly because the material appeared on Russian state media and deepfake technology has made authentication more difficult. He said RT, formerly known as Russia Today, had long been effective at distributing propaganda and would likely air material portraying Australia negatively.

The recordings also raise questions about how the network allegedly accessed the prisoners. Queensland rules allow prisoner calls to be recorded and monitored, except calls to lawyers or the Ombudsman. Media outlets cannot interview prisoners or obtain written or recorded statements from them without approval from the chief executive of Queensland Corrective Services. The agency said no approval had been given, but declined to say whether it was investigating a possible breach. The Australian Federal Police and the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation declined to comment.

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But it's also not surprising that it would choose to air stories that cast Australia in a very bad light.