Russian intelligence has recruited an Irish MP to act as a mole and emissary – and Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris says he’s not surprised at all.
Source: The Sunday Times Dublin correspondent John Mooney, two senior Irish government and justice officials confirmed to Politico – European Truth.
Details: The MP was not arrested or charged because he had not committed any crime by building relationships with Kremlin agents working in the sprawling Russian embassy in Dublin, officials said.
Thus, in light of Ireland’s extremely plaintiff-friendly libel law, officials said the MP’s name should not be publicly disclosed.
When reporters asked Harris if a Russian intelligence “mole” was working in parliament, the Irish Prime Minister said he could not confirm the information. He added: “It shouldn’t come as a surprise to any of us.”
Harris noted that such Russian intelligence efforts have increased in Ireland, as elsewhere, since Moscow launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Ireland then expelled four Russian diplomats accused of recruiting intelligence agents in Irish political and business circles. In response, Moscow banned dozens of Irish politicians from entering Russia.
“Russia seeks to distort public opinion and is actively acting in this direction around the world. Ireland is not immune to this,” Harris said.
Officials told Politico that the lawmaker was recruited in 2019 as Russia tried to stoke Brexit-related tensions between Ireland and Great Britain, particularly in the British region of Northern Ireland.
Harris said he could not discuss the specifics of Irish intelligence with the lawmaker, who was identified only as a sitting member of Ireland’s bicameral parliament, the Oireachtas.
“We never comment on security issues for very good reasons,” he said.
Sergei Prokopiev, the Russian spy who allegedly recruited the MP, was among four Russian embassy staff expelled from Ireland in March 2022. All of them were identified as members of the Russian military intelligence GRU and engaged in espionage.
The Sunday Times newspaper reported that after the expulsion, Prokopiev continued to coordinate activities with the Irish legislator through a Russian agent who was periodically sent to Dublin to maintain a romantic relationship with the politician – a “honey trap” designed to compromise the target.
According to Politico, the politician is a member of the predominantly left-wing opposition, not the three-party government led by Harris, which supports Ukraine.
Officials said the police ordered the deputy to cease contact, but he did not obey. According to them, an investigation into his conduct found no evidence that he received money from the Russians or gave them documents that constitute state secrets.
The Sunday Times reported that the Russians recruited the MP, in particular, to develop contacts with illegal paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland, in particular with “loyalist” extremists from the British Protestant part of the community.
One official said that such an approach if confirmed, would demonstrate that the Russians “know nothing” about the Irish political landscape. The official noted that the MP in question “has as many contacts in loyalist paramilitary circles as Walter Mitty”, alluding to a fictional character with a vivid fantasy life.
As for the Irish legislators in Brussels and Dublin, the Russian special services have long had many “useful idiots”.
Before Russia attacked Ukraine in February 2022, many opposition MPs from the left of Irish politics held generally pro-Russian and anti-Ukrainian positions. The Irish Republican Party responded to the 2022 attack on Ukraine by removing more than ten of its previous pro-Russian and anti-NATO messages from its online platforms.
Even Irish President Michael Higgins and his wife have come under fire for their pro-Kremlin messages. Higgins is a member of the opposition Labour Party.
The main pro-Kremlin voices in the Irish parliament are far to the left of the political spectrum and include five socialists and Trotskyists who operate under the name People Before Profit – Solidarity. The group continues to accuse NATO and the EU of aggression and militarism against Russia.
Two of the Kremlin’s most prominent mouthpieces in Ireland, independent socialists Claire Daly and Mick Wallace, were lawmakers in Dublin until 2019 when both were elected MEPs. They lost their seats in this year’s elections to the European Parliament.
It will be recalled that on 4 September President Volodymyr Zelenskyi and Prime Minister of Ireland Simon Harris signed an agreement on support and cooperation between the two countries: the ally will continue to provide non-lethal military support.
At the same time, Harris and Foreign Minister and Defence Minister Michal Martin announced a significant new package of support for Ukraine and its neighbours.
This €36 million package from Ireland will provide the necessary humanitarian aid, support rehabilitation and possible reconstruction, and contribute to the achievement of Ukraine’s long-term goals, including peace, stability and political aspirations, the government said.
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