New Zealand intelligence questions Russia claim it recruited Khabarovsk spy

New Zealand's intelligence service has cast doubt on Russia's claim that Wellington recruited a Russian citizen in Khabarovsk to pass on sensitive information.

Russia's Federal Security Service, known as the FSB, said a man living in the southeastern city had been arrested after passing information to New Zealand spies. It said the Russian citizen had proactively contacted the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service and that New Zealand then convinced him to pass on information that could harm Russian security.

New Zealand's Security Intelligence Service said it had a longstanding practice of not commenting on possible operational matters. But it added that Russian state media were often not the most reliable source of accurate reporting.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon also declined to discuss the allegation, telling reporters: "I don't comment on security intelligence issues."

Alexander Gillespie, a foreign affairs expert at the University of Waikato, said Russia's accusation should be taken with "a large bucket of salt". He said New Zealand had some history of spies and espionage, but usually as a target rather than as the spying country.

New Zealand is part of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance with the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia. It is also among countries that have imposed sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.