Australia had identified and discreetly eliminated a major Russian spy network masquerading as diplomats days after its intelligence director announced a significant counterespionage accomplishment, a local newspaper reported.
The Sydney Morning Herald noted on Friday, citing anonymous individuals with information about the operation, that the Russian spy ring included individuals posing as embassy and consular workers and other agents using deep-cover credentials, Al Jazeera reported.
The publication said that the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), the country's primary domestic surveillance agency, discovered the ring and broke up its operations after it had been active in Australia for 18 months.
ASIO's secretary-general of security Michael Burgess called the network a "hive" of spies because it was larger and more threatening than the "nest" recently dismantled. No precise figures have been presented.
Burgess further noted that the spies were "highly trained" due to the "sophisticated tradecraft" they use "to disguise their activities." per ABC News.
Australian Diplomats Fear Russian Retaliation
The publication said that Russian agents were discreetly expelled from Australia during the previous six months.
Publicly removing the Russian spy ring raised fears that Moscow may retaliate toward diplomats and other Australians residing in Russia.
A Friday request for a response from the Russian Embassy in Australia on the Russian spy ring issue went unanswered.
The Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese, refused to confirm whether or not the broken surveillance network was Russian, as reported by AP News.
Albanese told members of the press that he does not comment "on national security briefings, but I just say that ASIO does a very good job in defending Australia's national interest and they have my absolute confidence and support in doing that job."
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