Ireland no longer issuing visas to Russian diplomats

The government of Ireland has refused to issue new visas to Russian diplomats amid espionage concerns.

That’s according to The Irish Times, Ukrinform reports.

“Consequently, Moscow’s diplomatic presence here has dropped by half — resulting in a tense standoff between the two governments,” the report reads.

The large number of staff previously assigned to the embassy has long been a concern for the Irish counterintelligence who suspect the embassy HQ serves as a cover for spying activities, including signals intelligence.

The number of diplomats and administrative staff in the embassy has fallen from 30 to 14 since before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Four diplomats were expelled in March 2022 on espionage suspicions, as were two defense attaches who are known to work closely, or directly under, Russian intelligence when on foreign missions.

Diplomatic sources have confirmed to The Irish Times that the foreign ministry has stopped issuing new visas to Russian embassy staff since last year due to the poor relations between Ireland and Russia.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, in March 2022, Irish police detained a man who rammed his truck into the gates of the Russian embassy in Dublin amid protests against Russian aggression in Ukraine.

Photo: Brian Lawless/PA