Russia is one of a small group of hostile foreign states carrying out spying operations in Ireland, Michael McElgunn, assistant commissioner of Ireland's national police force, said in a radio interview Aug. 4.
Over the past several months, authorities have arrested numerous individuals accused of spying on behalf of the Russian Federation inside Poland, Germany, Estonia, and Austria, raising questions about Russian influence inside Europe.
"What we're particularly concerned about is a handful of states who are engaged in spying activities on sovereign soil with malign intent," McElgunn told RTE Radio.
"If we look at events in Europe and we look at the Russian Federation invasion of Ukraine, I don't think too many viewers would be surprised if I were to say that Russia were one of these states."
McElgunn heads the security and intelligence bureau of the Garda Siochana, Ireland's national police. As Ireland maintains diplomatic relations with Russia, McElgunn was hesitant to name Russia directly as a hostile state.
"Russia is one of the countries that we have an interest in in the general space," he said.
McElgunn said that the Garda is closely monitoring certain individuals suspected of espionage activities and that Ireland cooperates closely with foreign partners in these matters.
"We work very closely internationally in that regard because a lot of these hostile state agents will move and we work with our colleagues to have an understanding of who might be in our state from time to time and to manage entry in and out of the state by people of that nature," he said.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on July 14 that Ireland is preparing a security agreement with Ukraine.
Ireland has a policy of neutrality, is not a member of NATO, and has one of the lowest rates of defense spending across the EU, at around 0.2% of its GDP.
Its government has remained committed to not providing lethal military aid to Kyiv, but has recognized Russia's war against Ukraine as genocide.
The country has also taken in around 100,000 Ukrainian refugees since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion.
Chris York
