A piece of land on which Russia was going to build a new embassy building in Australia was occupied by an employee of the Russian diplomatic mission. This is reported by the Australian Sky News.
The diplomat installed a mobile home at the site and has been living there for several days. He goes outside to smoke and pick up food delivery from the courier. The police cannot evict him because he has diplomatic immunity.
Australian Deputy Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the man did not pose a threat to national security, unlike the Russian embassy. “The national security threat that a Russian embassy in that place would pose is not the same as some guy standing on the grass. We do not see this as a threat to our national security,” he said.
According to him, the diplomat could be declared "persona non grata", which would force Russia to withdraw its representative. After that, diplomatic immunity will not apply to the man and he can be evicted.
Earlier, the Australian authorities, at the insistence of the intelligence services, decided to cancel the lease agreement for the site on which Russia planned to build a new embassy building.