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Army Reservist Charged Over Alleged Unauthorized Work for Ukraine Military

The case marks the AFP’s first use of a Defence Act offence that limits defence-linked roles with foreign forces.

Overview

  • The 25-year-old South Australian reservist is due in Adelaide Magistrates Court Tuesday in the AFP’s first case of this kind.
  • Police allege he traveled to Ukraine in May 2025 to serve as a drone operator and returned to Australia in January 2026.
  • AFP officers searched his Felixstow home on April 2 and seized devices that allegedly contained images linking him to the war.
  • He is charged under section 115A of the Defence Act 1903, an offence that carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
  • Australian law does not ban joining a foreign military outright but restricts certain work by defence personnel, a distinction central to this prosecution.