The British-Polish solicitor has lived in Britain since her teens and speaks nine languages, including Russian<\/p>\n
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.
\nThe 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 \u201crumor\u201d started by partners of other officers at the British base.
\nJanina 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.
\nWhite 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.<\/p>\n
The Telegraph: A NATO commander\u2019s 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\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/pmL9g4TvYC\u2014 Vineet (@cozyduke_apt29) September 14, 2026 <\/p>\n
Two weeks after meeting, the couple moved into a two-bedroom apartment in west London, White told the newspaper.
\n\u201cWe opened a joint bank account and started planning holidays and thinking about having babies,\u201d she added.
\nTheir problems began at a Christmas party in December 2024 at NATO\u2019s Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM), where the Spanish officer was posted. White attended the event on a one-day escorted visitor pass.<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
UK wasted 20 years searching for \u2018Russian mole\u2019 in MI6 \u2013 Guardian<\/p>\n
Suspicions about her were subsequently reported to counterintelligence officers, prompting investigations by NATO and the Spanish Navy.
\n\u201cI definitely know I am not a Russian spy. The last time I checked I wasn\u2019t,\u201d White told The Telegraph.
\nThe commanding officer at Northwood revoked the Spanish officer\u2019s access pass on June 19, 2025, after being informed of the investigation. More than a month later, his posting to MARCOM \u201cwas terminated by the Spanish authorities,\u201d according to court documents cited by the newspaper.
\nIn 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 \u201c35 years of exemplary, unblemished service.\u201d He said all of them faced alienation within the Spanish military community.
\nWhite said her former partner \u201cfelt betrayed by the navy\u201d and that she felt the same way about \u201cBritain, my country.\u201d She is pursuing a discrimination case against the British Ministry of Defense.<\/p>\n
READ MORE: Ukrainian spies infiltrated NATO state \u2013 media<\/p>\n
White also said that after the ordeal she was approached by a man she believed worked for Russia\u2019s Federal Security Service. The man invited her to a cafe while she was visiting St. Petersburg, where her father lives.
\nThe purported agent \u201cwas very pleasant and brought me a nice coffee,\u201d she said.
\nWhite 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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The British-Polish solicitor has lived in Britain since her teens and speaks nine languages, including Russian A senior Spanish naval officer stationed with NATO in the UK became the subject…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":38160,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-38159","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t