A senior Spanish naval officer stationed with NATO in the UK became the subject of a counterintelligence investigation over his relationship with a British woman who was born in Soviet Russia, The Telegraph has reported.
The unnamed officer eventually had his security clearance revoked and was ostracized by fellow military personnel. The couple, who have since separated, both believe they were betrayed by their respective countries over what the woman described as a “rumor” started by partners of other officers at the British base.
Janina White, 49, was born in Soviet Russia, moved to Poland as a child and emigrated to the UK as a teenager, the British newspaper reported on Monday. She holds dual British-Polish citizenship and works as a solicitor in London. According to her public professional profile, she speaks nine languages, including Russian.
White separated from her former husband, a prominent council leader, shortly before meeting the Spanish Navy officer in October 2024. He had also recently separated from his wife.
The Telegraph: A NATO commander’s romance with a woman he met on Tinder triggered a security alert at a British military base over fears she was spying for Russia, The Telegraph can reveal.The Spanish naval officer was dating Janina White, a UK-born Soviet national who was… pic.twitter.com/pmL9g4TvYC
Two weeks after meeting, the couple moved into a two-bedroom apartment in west London, White told the newspaper.
“We opened a joint bank account and started planning holidays and thinking about having babies,” she added.
Their problems began at a Christmas party in December 2024 at NATO’s Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM), where the Spanish officer was posted. White attended the event on a one-day escorted visitor pass.
Suspicions about her were subsequently reported to counterintelligence officers, prompting investigations by NATO and the Spanish Navy.
“I definitely know I am not a Russian spy. The last time I checked I wasn’t,” White told The Telegraph.
The commanding officer at Northwood revoked the Spanish officer’s access pass on June 19, 2025, after being informed of the investigation. More than a month later, his posting to MARCOM “was terminated by the Spanish authorities,” according to court documents cited by the newspaper.
In an email to Vice-Admiral Mike Utley, a senior British naval commander, the officer said the espionage allegations had seriously damaged his career and affected his former wife and two children after “35 years of exemplary, unblemished service.” He said all of them faced alienation within the Spanish military community.
White said her former partner “felt betrayed by the navy” and that she felt the same way about “Britain, my country.” She is pursuing a discrimination case against the British Ministry of Defense.
White also said that after the ordeal she was approached by a man she believed worked for Russia’s Federal Security Service. The man invited her to a cafe while she was visiting St. Petersburg, where her father lives.
The purported agent “was very pleasant and brought me a nice coffee,” she said.
White insisted that while she was in a relationship with the Spanish officer, they maintained a strict rule against discussing his work at home. She said she told the Russian man the same thing.
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