Wednesday 17 August 2022 05:37 PM Russian embassy in Canberra scrapped by Australian government: Spying fears trends now
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Plans for the construction of a new Russian embassy close to Parliament House have been scuttled with speculation a spy scandal may have been averted.
The National Capital Authority, the federal government body responsible for planning in parts of Canberra, terminated Russia's lease on the site due to a lack of construction activity over the 14 year project.
Russia had been seeking to build a new embassy in the Canberra suburb of Yarralumla, where the bulk of diplomatic missions are located, to replace their existing site in the nearby suburb of Griffith.
The embassy had sought since 2020 to bring in its own Russian contractors, claiming they needed to check the work of Australian builders.
But the Department of Home Affairs denied entry to the contractors, suspecting they could be members of Russia's Federal Security Service involved in a security operation in Canberra.
Plans for the construction of a new Russian embassy in Canberra have been scuttled with speculation of a possible a spy scandal, amid tensions over Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine (Pictured protestors in Sydney march against Putin's invasion of Ukraine)
