Two Russian-born Australian citizens were arrested Thursday, Australian police said Friday. The married pair are accused of accessing sensitive military material with the intent to provide it to Russian authorities. They appeared in a court on Friday, each charged with one count of preparing for an espionage offense—which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison—marking the first time an espionage offense has been laid in Australia since the country introduced new laws in 2018, per a police press release. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] “Espionage is an insidious crime, and at a time of global instability, state actors have ramped-up their efforts to obtain information held by Western democracies, including Australia,” said federal police commissioner Reece Kershaw.