Russia's Embassy Squatter Forced to Leave Australian Parliament Site

Russia has lost its bid to retain a plot of land near Australia's parliament, where it had planned to build a new embassy. The Australian government canceled Russia's lease on national security grounds, prompting a court challenge. The planned embassy was seen as a spying risk due to its proximity to parliament. Australia's High Court ruled that Russia had to vacate the site, describing its challenge as weak. Russia had already spent $5.5 million on construction and argued that the integrity of the partially-completed building would be compromised if Australia took over the land.