A Russian diplomat has been squatting on the contested site of a proposed Russian embassy in Australia’s capital as the Prime Minister assures the land is secure.
The diplomat is understood to be living on the site in Canberra after the Australian government decided this month to cancel the lease amid reported security fears.
Australia passed a law to prevent Russia from moving its embassy from a Canberra suburb to a prime site close to parliament and the Chinese embassy, citing national security concerns.
The Australian newspaper reported on Thursday that the Russian diplomat was squatting on the land under the watch of police, who were unable to arrest him as he has diplomatic immunity.
The man has been living on the site in a portable building since Sunday, when passersby first saw Australian Federal Police outside the fenced block in Canberra’s Yarralumla diplomatic precinct.
Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told a press conference on Friday that the site is secure and he’s not worried.
“Australia will stand up for our values and we will stand up for our national security, and a bloke standing in the cold on a bit of grass in Canberra is not a threat to our national security,” he said.
“The site is secure and we are comfortable with our position.”
The Russian embassy in Canberra declined to comment but Russia’s RIA news agency quoted the mission as saying that it had taken the matter to Australia’s High Court.
The Australian newspaper on Friday said the Russian Federation has officially launched legal action, challenging Australia’s decision to block a new Canberra embassy.
Mr Albanese said he was confident that the eviction would stand up to any Russian legal challenge.
“We actually support the law. Russia has not been real good at the law lately,” Mr Albanese said, referring to Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
Australian Federal Police declined to answer why the man had not been removed for trespassing.
Russia says it has invested in the site since it was granted the lease in 2008. Completed works include fencing and a single perimeter building that was to be part of a planned complex of several buildings.
Russia on Wednesday barred 48 Australians from entering the country in what it said was retaliation for Australia’s long-running sanctions regime against it.
