Russian one-man invasion: A Russian diplomat was discovered in a trailer placed at the construction site of the Russian embassy in Canberra – and refuses to evacuate. The police, for their part, cannot evict him because of his diplomatic immunity, and the story further exacerbates the tense relations between Canberra and Moscow.
The background to the affair – the revocation of the permission given to Russia to lease the area in question and build the new embassy building on it. In 2008, Russia received permission to build an embassy in the prestigious new location – in one of the blocks that circle the Australian Parliament, along with other embassies – and has since invested $5.5 million in infrastructure and fencing work.
#UPDATE Russia has launched a last-ditch legal bid to build a new embassy near Australia's parliament, days after Canberra adopted an emergency law to block the development on national security grounds.
An Australian government spokesman told @AFP that the Russian Federation had... pic.twitter.com/NgJnr3D8z7
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) June 23, 2023
But Russia's invasion of Ukraine has set off red flags in Australia, and last February the country expelled a slew of Russian diplomats who were exposed as spies. Plans to build the new embassy – hundreds of meters from the parliament – continued, so just last week lawmakers from the coalition and opposition passed a law that would allow the cancellation of the lease of the area to the Russians for security reasons.
Despite the decision, it seems that Russia decided not to give up the site – and to do so bluntly.
The embassy standoff in Canberra between the Australian and Russian governments has taken a bizarre turn, with a Russian diplomat this morning illegally squatting on the site. @ElizaEdNews #9News pic.twitter.com/ai76QFI4RH
— 9News Australia (@9NewsAUS) June 22, 2023
This week, passersby noticed that an unknown person lives in an already-designated compound for the Russian embassy, who sometimes wanders the construction site, smoking and receiving food deliveries. For requests for identification, the man refuses, while the federal police cannot deport him because of diplomatic immunity. One option being considered is to declare the man persona non grata and deport him within 48 hours, but theoretically Russia could bring in another representative in his place.
Australian Prime Minister Albanese. Not bothered, photo: Reuters
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is convinced the problem will be solved. "Australia will defend its values and take care of national security, but a person standing on a piece of grass does not threaten us," he said sarcastically.
The Russian embassy declined to respond to press inquiries. Meanwhile, Russia has petitioned the Australian Supreme Court against the bill passed by parliament, but international law expert Don Rothwell of the Australian National University estimates that the chances of the appeal are not very high. "What Russia is doing is an act of civil disobedience in diplomatic garb," Rothwell told The Associated Press. All you can fight for, he estimated, is only to improve the amount of compensation for the investment in the complex.
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