Ireland–Russia relations

Ireland–Russia relations

Ireland
Russia

Ireland and the Russian Federation maintain bilateral relations. Ireland has an embassy in Moscow, and Russia has an embassy in Dublin. Russia's embassy on Orwell Road is accused of being a hub for intelligence-gathering and online "influence operations", which it denies. Since the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014, armed Russian bombers have deliberately flown into Irish-controlled airspace several times, having to be intercepted by the Royal Air Force. Russian spy ships have been observed mapping undersea communications cables and energy pipelines off Ireland's coast. There was also controversy over Russian plans to hold naval drills in Ireland's exclusive economic zone. Because of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Irish government imposed sanctions on Russia and expelled Russian diplomats suspected of espionage. Opinion polls in Ireland have found strong support for Ukraine. Russia responded by expelling Irish diplomats and declaring Ireland an "unfriendly country". The Irish security services say that Russian agents have covertly attempted to stoke unrest through dissident republicans, Ulster loyalists, and far-left and far-right activists.

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