SYDNEY: Australia’s spy chief has singled out Russia as an “aggressive espionage threat,” saying several Moscow-linked intelligence officers have been caught and expelled in recent years.
Intelligence boss Mike Burgess used a speech on Thursday night to warn of the mounting threat posed by foreign actors such as Russia and China.
Burgess said 24 major espionage operations had been dismantled since 2022 — more than the previous eight years combined.
“A new iteration of great power competition is driving a relentless hunger for strategic advantage and an insatiable appetite for inside information,” he said.
“Russia remains a persistent and aggressive espionage threat,” added Burgess, director-general of the Australian Security Intelligence Organization.
