A country neighboring Britain has become a loophole for Russian spies — The Telegraph
Ireland has become a convenient "backdoor" for Russian spies to infiltrate the United Kingdom due to its overly liberal visa policy.
This is reported by the authoritative publication The Telegraph, citing statements by European politicians.
British officials and intelligence representatives have already officially warned Dublin of this serious threat to collective security.
Barry Andrews, a former Minister for Children in the Irish government and current Member of the European Parliament from Dublin, confirmed the allies’ concerns.
According to him, British officials have repeatedly approached him with warnings regarding the abnormally high number of entry permits that the Irish side is granting to citizens of the aggressor country.
Statistics show that since the start of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Ireland has issued over 14,000 visas to Russians, with an approval rate of a record 90 percent.
The main danger lies in Dublin’s lack of robust tools for verifying foreigners and monitoring their subsequent activities.
The British side expects its neighbors to immediately step up counterintelligence measures. Ireland is not part of the Schengen Area but has a unique legal arrangement with the United Kingdom.
“Ireland does not have developed intelligence services compared to the UK. The UK fears that Ireland is a loophole, since people come to Ireland, and we do not have the same surveillance capabilities as the UK,” he noted.
Andrews also added that there is currently a significant amount of irrefutable evidence of Russia’s illegal and subversive activities directly within Ireland itself.
The situation is complicated by the fact that the country is a member of the Common Travel Area along with the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man, which allows for unhindered access to Britain.
Political pressure on Dublin is also intensifying due to changes in its international status in the coming months.
Russian intelligence agencies traditionally step up their efforts during major European events, attempting to gain access to confidential information.
“Ireland is in the crosshairs, and I think now is the time to conduct a thorough review of the visa issuance process for Russians and Belarusians,” he said.
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