Russian spy haven Nornickel remains in Australia | Australian Markets

A Russian miner that harboured convicted spies in Western Australia controls a West Perth shell company inexplicably spending tons of of hundreds of {dollars} annually.

The revelation comes much less than three weeks after Australia’s chief spy warned that Russia remains a “persistent and aggressive espionage threat”.

Nornickel, previously Norilsk Nickel, is headquartered in Moscow and run by politician turned oligarch Vladimir Potanain.

The billionaire is sanctioned by the Australian Government and is a close ally of Russia’s chief Vladimir Putin.

Mr Potanain’s Nornickel splurged on a $7 billion acquisition of LionOre to start building a WA nickel empire on the top of the mining growth in 2007.

The nickel price quickly crashed and following more than a decade of bleeding money the Russian giant cut off its withered WA arm in June 2020 — declaring a “strategic exit from Australian operations” with the sale of its remaining property to BHP’s Nickel West.

Nornickel’s quite a few Australian subsidiaries have been promptly wound up, apart from one. This remaining subsidiary has a small letterbox in the lobby of a West Perth workplace building, with no different recognized property presence.

Nornickel used to have flooring space in the identical building because the letterbox however the company deserted that space not less than two years in the past, in accordance with different tenants of the building who spoke to The West Australian.

The West Perth-registered entity’s financial accounts solely raise more questions.

More than $675,000 was mysteriously spent in 2024, regardless of there being no money owed to pay or no property to keep up during the 12 months, with simply over $467,000 left by December 31.

About $800,500 was additionally mysteriously spent in 2023. East Perth-based Australian Audit acquired $5000 each years to audit the accounts.

Nornickel’s West Perth subsidiary was “primarily involved in holding assets under care and maintenance,” in accordance with commentary in its financial accounts.

But WA’s Department of Mines, Petroleum and Exploration confirmed this subsidiary had no property on care and upkeep or any mining tenements below its control.

The West Perth shell company paid $440,205 to “key management personnel” during every of 2023 and 2024.

Its fast mum or dad company was initially in the Netherlands however two years in the past turned domiciled on the Greek aspect of Mediterranean island nation Cyprus.

Cypriot banks have been used to manoeuvre round Western World sanctions for the reason that invasion of Ukraine started in 2022.

Nornickel and Australian Audit declined to remark.

A spokesperson for The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation declined to remark, however they pointed to a latest speech given by ASIO director normal Mike Burgess.

Mr Burgess referred to as out Russia in this speech on July 31.

“Russia remains a persistent and aggressive espionage threat. Last year, two Russian-born Australian citizens were arrested and charged with an espionage-related offence,” he stated.

“Separately, I can confirm in 2022 a number of undeclared Russian intelligence officers were removed from this country.

“The decision followed a lengthy ASIO investigation that found the Russians recruiting proxies and agents to obtain sensitive information, and employing sophisticated tradecraft to disguise their activities.”

Mr Burgess stated Russia was “by no means the only country” Australia’s home spy company needed to deal with.

He stated overseas intelligence businesses have been aggressively concentrating on Australia’s “green technology, critical minerals and rare earths extraction and processing”.

Nornickel was embroiled in a native spying scandal when The West Australian in 2013 revealed a convicted Russian spy was liable for shepherding employees into a Goldfields nickel mine.

Elena Vavilova was employed as a senior human sources supervisor at Nornickel, tasked with organising visas and journey for Russian nationals working on the company’s WA operations.

Just three years previous to this revelation, Ms Vavilova and her husband have been concerned in one of the most important spying scandals in a long time.

They have been amongst 10 brokers of the Russian overseas intelligence service arrested in the United States by the FBI in a swoop on deep-cover operatives after an investigation spanning a decade.

Ms Vavilova was rapidly freed by way of a prisoner swap and personally awarded a state honour by Mr Putin on her return to Russia.

Other ex-Nornickel workers in Australia, like Roman Panov — a director of Nornickel Australia in the 2010s — served as an officer in the previous Soviet intelligence company.