Ireland accuses Russia of espionage
Ireland says there are spies from Russia in the country (photo: Getty Images)
Russia is one of the few countries spying in Ireland. In particular, the Russians are trying to steal secrets from the state and industry.
Assistant Commissioner Michael McElgann, who is in charge of state security, said they are particularly concerned about states that are engaged in spying in their country.
According to him, these states, including Russia, seek to support extremist groups here and create distrust of the government.
"They are also trying to steal secrets from the state and industry, which undermines the reputation of Ireland," McElgann explained.
The assistant commissioner for crime and security intelligence also said that the Garda are keeping a close eye on people they believe are spying.
According to him, security and intelligence work closely with other European intelligence agencies and monitor the entry and exit of suspected spies into and out of the country.
"This is the way the world works... We have a duty to investigate and manage the threats from hostile states and that includes espionage in the State. We are committed to monitoring the particular threats. Russia is one of those countries we have an interest in," the Assistant Commissioner said.
Earlier, we wrote that Ukraine and Ireland held the first talks in the framework of the preparation of a bilateral agreement on security assurances.
Ireland is currently a neutral country and does not provide lethal assistance to Ukraine.
