Nato officer’s Tinder romance triggers Russian spy concerns at UK base
The officer was removed from his post and sent back to Spain amid suspicions that the woman was spying for Russia
A Nato officer's relationship with a woman he met on Tinder triggered a security alert at a British military base over fears she was spying for Russia.
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The Spanish naval officer, who has not been named, started a relationship with US-Polish dual national Janina White in October 2024.
At the time, the Spaniard was based at Allied Maritime Command (Marcom) at Northwood HQ, Hertfordshire, which tracks maritime activity, including sanctioned oil tankers from Russia.
He was removed from his post and sent back to Spain after suspicions arose that his girlfriend was spying for Russia.
In the first half of 2025, a Nato security investigation was launched into the commander and his relationship with Ms White.
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Both Spain and Nato launched a security investigation into the relationship. This led to a Spanish decision to suspend the officer's national security clearance, according to court documents seen by the Telegraph.
In summer 2025, the Spanish officer was banned from the Marcom base and returned to Spain.
In August, the couple were denied entry when they tried to enter Northwood. The police were called and the couple left without being detained or arrested.
Ms White, 49, who was born in the Soviet Union and lives in Romford, south-east London after moving to the UK as a teenager, said she had been unfairly discriminated against on the basis of her Russian heritage.
She was never arrested and no investigation ever yielded evidence she is a foreign agent.
She told the Telegraph: “I definitely know I am not a Russian spy. The last time I checked I wasn’t".
The Spaniard, a married father of two who separated from from his wife shortly before starting a relationship with Ms White, said he had been subjected to "a gradual and calculated process of social and professional isolation”.
In an email to a colleague, he said his family had been subject to a "psychological toll" and were “progressively excluded from social interactions”.
Ms White, who is no longer in a relationship with the former commander, is seeking a judicial review of why she was named a security risk by intelligence officials.
She has also opened a discrimination case against the Ministry of Defence, claiming she was treated with suspicion because of her birthplace.
Cdr Tim Pietrack, a Marcom spokesman, said: “Marcom does not comment on personnel matters. Nato remains fully committed to protecting allied personnel, safeguarding classified information, and maintaining the trust and security upon which the alliance depends on.”
A spokesman for the MoD said: “It would be inappropriate to comment on matters subject to ongoing legal proceedings.”