Russian intelligence recruited Irish MP to stir up Brexit tensions – Politico

Russian intelligence has recruited an Irish MP to work as a mole and emissary, and Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris says it doesn’t surprise him, according to media reports.

The news, which was reported by The Sunday Times‘ correspondent in Dublin, John Mooney, was confirmed to Politico by two Irish government and justice officials.

Kremlin’s honeytrap for an Irish politician

According to the officials, the MP was not arrested or charged because he had not committed any crime by building a romantic relationship with Kremlin agents working at the Russian Embassy in Dublin.

Officials told Politico that the Kremlin used a honeytrap to persuade the undisclosed opposition lawmaker to promote anti-NATO messages, and liaise with radical activists in Northern Ireland, according to the article.

Due to the requirements of Irish law, officials said that the MP’s name should not be publicly disclosed.

When journalists asked Prime Minister Harris if there was a Russian intelligence mole working in the parliament, the Irish prime minister said he could not confirm this information but added, “This should come as no surprise to any of us.”

Harris noted that such efforts by Russian intelligence intensified in Ireland, as well as in other countries, after Moscow launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Russia attempted to stir up Brexit-related tensions – media

In 2022, Ireland expelled four Russian diplomats accused of recruiting intelligence agents in Irish political and business circles. 

Officials told Politico that the MP was recruited in 2019, when Russia was trying to stir up Brexit-related tensions between Ireland and the UK.

Sergei Prokopyev, 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 Russian military intelligence and were engaged in espionage.

The Sunday Times reported that after his expulsion, Prokopyev continued to coordinate with the Irish lawmaker through a Russian agent who was periodically sent to Dublin to maintain a relationship with the politician.

Russia recruited a left-wing politician – Politico

According to Politico, the politician is a member of the predominantly left-wing opposition, not the pro-Ukraine three-party government led by Harris. Officials said that police ordered the lawmaker to stop contacting them, but he disobeyed.

An investigation into his behavior found no evidence that he had received money from the Russians or passed 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.

Ireland’s two best-known pro-Russia mouthpieces, independent socialists Clare Daly and Mick Wallace, were MPs in Dublin until 2019, when both were elected as members of the European Parliament. But they lost their seats in June 2024 European elections.

On September 4, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris signed an agreement on support and cooperation between the two countries: the ally will continue to provide non-lethal military support to Ukraine to help the nation in the defense war against Russia.