However, as the newspaper noted, no evidence was found that the woman was a Russian agent.
According to the article, the soldier was serving at the NATO Allied Maritime Command (Marcom) in Northwood, Hertfordshire at the time. This is one of the main centers monitoring Russian military and submarine vessels, as well as the so-called Russian “shadow fleet” ships.
The Spanish soldier’s relationship with 49-year-old Janina White began in October 2024. The woman holds British and Polish citizenships, although she was born in the territory of the Soviet Union.
The divorced father of two was suspended from duty in 2025 when Spanish and NATO security officials began to suspect this woman.
Later, British Northwood base staff revoked his access permit, and the base commander banned him from entering the premises while intelligence officers conducted an investigation. In the summer of 2025, he was removed from the base and returned to Spain.
J. White, who lives in Romford, East London, denies any espionage allegations and claims she became a victim of discrimination due to her Russian origin.
The woman was never arrested, and no investigation proved that she was a foreign agent.
“I definitely know that I am not a Russian spy. The last time I checked, I was not,” she told The Telegraph newspaper.
J. White said that last month, when she was visiting Saint Petersburg, where her sick father lives, a Russian intelligence officer invited her for coffee.
The spy, who according to the woman was named Andrey, belonged to the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB). As J. White said, he questioned her for two hours about the initiated security investigation and her relationship with the NATO soldier.
“They asked me if I knew anything about [my former partner’s] work. I answered no. We had a rule at home that he did not talk about his work.
I knew he worked with the Russian “shadow fleet” and submarines. However, it was strictly forbidden to discuss any related details at home,” she said.
According to J. White, some of the questions were about her acquaintance with her former partner, the rumors that arose, and how she felt about them.
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“He asked about my sister, father, and husband. He asked what my current relationship with [the former partner] was. I said we do not communicate,” the woman said.
“He was very kind and brought me excellent coffee,” she added.
J. White began a relationship with a Spanish officer, whose name The Telegraph does not disclose, in October 2024. This happened shortly after she divorced her former husband, a well-known municipal council leader who has visited the house marked No. 10 Downing Street, where the Prime Minister’s office is located, several times.
Two weeks after they met, she moved into the sailor’s two-bedroom flat in Ruislip, West London.
“We opened a joint bank account and started planning holidays and thinking about children,” the woman said.
Suspicions arose after J. White was invited to a Christmas party in December 2024, which she attended with the Spaniard.
According to court documents seen by The Telegraph, on December 12, 2024, he invited her to an event at the Northwood senior officers’ mess, having received a one-day accompanying visitor permit to enter the military base.
However, in the first half of 2025, the NATO Allied Maritime Command faced “security issues” related to the commander and his relationship with J. White.
“A NATO security investigation was initiated; a Spanish security investigation was also started. The United Kingdom did not participate in these processes, and their result was the Spanish decision to suspend [the officer’s] national security clearance,” the court document states.
The Spanish soldier was informed about the investigation on June 19, 2025, and “until the security investigation results are received,” his base access permit was revoked. In July, Spain terminated his deployment and sent the officer home.
In turn, J. White filed complaints and seeks a court review of the decision that declared her a potential security threat. Additionally, she filed a lawsuit against the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence, claiming she was discriminated against because of her place of birth.
“The entire state system treated me like an enemy. I want to know why this decision was made, who made it, and I want this decision to be overturned.”
According to the woman, due to the suspicions, she ended up isolated and felt like an outcast.
Meanwhile, J. White’s former partner said this situation had a significant impact on both his career and family. He claimed that after many years of service, he began to be seen as an “undesirable outcast.”
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