Russia and Australia's dispute over the site of Moscow's proposed new embassy in Canberra has escalated, with local media reporting a Russian diplomat is squatting on the land despite the lease being canceled.
An unidentified Russian diplomat has been living for several days in a portable building on the land previously held by Moscow, The Australian newspaper reported. He has been ordering food deliveries to the site while being watched by Australian Federal Police, the newspaper said.
It reported the man couldn't be evicted as he holds diplomatic immunity.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced last week that he was canceling Russia's lease because of security risks arising from the site's proximity to parliament. The government received bipartisan support for legislation to terminate the lease after a court rejected a similar move by local authorities.
A Russian embassy spokesman declined to comment about the diplomat when contacted Friday by Bloomberg News, saying only that the mission is still seeking legal advice on the lease cancellation.
Albanese told reporters Friday that the lease's cancellation satisfied any security concerns and he wasn't worried about the current standoff.
"The national security threat that was represented by a Russian embassy on the site is not the same as some bloke standing on a blade of grass," he said.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on June 15 that Australia was engaging in "Russophobic hysteria" in canceling the lease, the state-run TASS news agency reported, adding there may be reciprocal actions taken by Moscow.
Albanese said Friday the government expected "Russia would not be happy with our response" and processes were underway to "formalize possession" of the Canberra site.
"Russia hasn't been real good at the law lately," Albanese added.
