Adelaide woman denies being a Russian spy as ASIO raises concerns about her ties to Russia

An Adelaide woman accused of being a spy says she worked with Russian nationals but denies providing information to the Kremlin.

Marina Sologub’s home in the western suburbs was raided in February 2023 and her visa revoked after the Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO) raised concerns about her Russian connections.

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The 39-year-old was held at an immigration facility in Melbourne until at least July while awaiting a decision from the Administrative Court of Appeals on her visa.

“Of course I’m innocent,” she told 7NEWS in an exclusive interview from incarceration.

“I have nothing to hide.”

The mother of one child was born in Kazakhstan but has lived most of her life in Ireland, where she worked at the National Space Centre.

After moving to Australia on a Global Talent visa in 2020, she worked as a consultant in the space industry and later as a procurement consultant for the city of Marion, according to her LinkedIn profile.

Sologub said she worked with Russians at the Nation Space Center in Ireland but denies being a Russian spy.

“The whole situation is very devastating, for me, for (my) family, it’s breaking us apart,” she said.

“If I were a Russian spy, the Australian government would certainly never invite me.”

Home Secretary Claire O’Neil canceled Sologum’s visa after ASIO issued an adverse safety assessment regarding Sologub.

The Home Office said in a statement it had not commented on individual cases, but said the minister had the power to cancel a visa if the applicant failed the character test and the minister believed the cancellation was in the national interest may be.

Her lawyer, who asked not to be named, said the agency had provided little information about her case, making it difficult to fight before the tribunal.

Sologub was not prosecuted.

Her husband, 20, Alexander Sologub said the family was devastated by her arrest.

“Time has stood still for me,” he says.

“We came to Australia for the Australian dream… We got Australian horror. Our life will never be the same again.”

Sologub’s detention made headlines in Ireland, where local media reports Sologub was an ethnic Russian who worked with Irish MPs.

– With Hannah Foord