Newsletters
A romantic relationship between a NATO naval commander and a woman he met on the dating app Tinder triggered a security investigation at a British military base amid concerns she could be spying for Russia, according to an article by The Telegraph.
The senior Spanish naval officer was in a relationship with Janina White, a dual U.K.-Polish national born in Soviet Russia, when she came under suspicion of being an agent for the Kremlin, the Russian government led by President Vladimir Putin.
At the time, the officer was stationed at Allied Maritime Command (Marcom), based at Northwood headquarters in Hertfordshire, which monitors Russian submarines and warships operating near British waters and tracks sanctioned oil tankers linked to Russia's so-called shadow fleet, a network of vessels used to circumvent international sanctions.
The married father of two, who had separated from his wife shortly before beginning a relationship with White in late 2024, was suspended from duty after Spanish and NATO security officials raised concerns about her background.
British staff at Northwood later revoked his access pass, and the base commander barred him from entering the facility while intelligence personnel carried out an investigation. By the summer of 2025, he had been removed from the base and sent back to Spain.
White, 49, who lives in Romford, east London, has denied any involvement in espionage and said she was unfairly targeted because of her Russian heritage. She is no longer in a relationship with the Spanish officer and has never been arrested, nor has any investigation established that she is a foreign agent. She told The Telegraph she was certain she was not a Russian spy.
White stated that last month, during a trip to St. Petersburg to visit her ill father, a man identifying himself as an officer from Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB)—whom she referred to as Andrei—invited her for coffee and questioned her for around two hours at a local cafe. She said he asked about the security investigation involving her former partner and the specific nature of their relationship.
According to White, she was asked whether she knew anything about her former partner's work. She answered no, explaining that the couple had a strict agreement never to discuss his military duties at home.
While she admitted being aware in general terms that he dealt with matters involving the Russian shadow fleet and submarines, she maintained that specific operational details were never discussed.
She said the questioning also touched on how she met her former partner, her family, and the current status of the relationship, to which she said she told the officer they were no longer in contact. According to court documents, security concerns involving the commander and his relationship with White arose at Marcom during the first half of 2025.
Both a NATO security investigation and a separate Spanish security investigation were launched, though the United Kingdom was not involved in either process. The Spanish investigation resulted in a decision to suspend the officer's national security clearance.
Northwood's commanding officer was informed of the investigation on June 19, 2025, and revoked the officer's access pass pending the outcome of the inquiries.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
1 min read
1 min read
