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LAST UPDATE | 7 Apr 2022
TWO IRISH DIPLOMATS have been asked to leave Russia by the Russian Foreign Ministry.
The Department of Foreign Affairs has said that the Irish ambassador to the Russian Federation, Ambassador Brian McAlduff, was summoned to the Moscow Foreign Ministry earlier today.
He was informed that two Irish diplomats from the Irish Embassy in Moscow were asked to leave Russia.
In a statement this evening, Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney has said that there is “no justification for the taking of this measure”.
“The staff at the Embassy of Ireland in Moscow do not have, nor are engaged in, any duties or functions which are incompatible with their diplomatic status,” said Coveney.
He added that reducing the size of the Irish embassy in the Russian capital would “significantly reduce” their abilities to provide services to Irish citizens in Russia and make it more difficult to maintain diplomatic channels with Russia.
In a statement this evening, the Foreign Affairs Ministry in Russia said that the move was in response to the “unfriendly and groundless steps” taken by Ireland to expel Russian embassy staff.
Last week, the Department of Foreign Affairs expelled four Russian Embassy staff after saying that their actions were not in line with diplomatic standards.
“It was emphasized that in the event that the government of Ireland continues its destructive line in the Russian direction, Dublin should not have the slightest doubt about Moscow’s determination to respond proportionately to any hostile steps,” said the Russian Foreign Ministry.
The Foreign Ministry also called on the Irish Government to “remove the obstacles to the work of the Russian Embassy in Dublin and ensure normal conditions for the functioning of our diplomatic mission”.
Last week, Taoiseach Micheál Martin told the Dáil that the decision was made to expel the Russian staff due to briefings from Irish security officials.
After the expulsion of the embassy staff, the Russian Embassy in Ireland said that the decision would “not go unanswered”.
Ambassador McAlduff was previously summoned to the Foreign Affairs Ministry in Moscow in early March, after a truck was crashed through the gates of the Russian Embassy on Orwell Road.
When asked by The Journal about further detail on the expansions, the Department of Foreign Affairs said:
The Department will not be commenting on details of the expulsions.
Additional reporting by Gráinne Ní Aodha
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If you are Irish, residing in Russia and have the means to leave…..do so now.
@HarveyLemonade: — All of Putin’s Irish supporters can replace them, and get in the queue for homoerotic wrestling bouts with him. They’ll love that.
@HarveyLemonade: glad you’re not a military leader with those over reactions! Diplomatic mission representing Larry Goodmans interests is about all the need there, so leave but not quite Saigon ‘75!
@HarveyLemonade: yes…..come home and let us withdraw our officials. and send the mustache home with his entourage equipment
There’s no justification for them invading Ukraine but here we are unfortunately
@Gary Carr: In before someone tries to justify it while pretending they’re not trying to justify it
@Fallout Life: Good ol Seany below just had a go at it though ^^
@Sean Murphy: Fug! Is this one of those aptitude tests where I have to figure out what you wrote. Honestly (and no joke) I’m not able to follow what you’re saying. It’s like you were using nested double-negatives, or something.
@David A. Murray: bots are not that clever
@Sean Murphy: fug off you mod pollix .
@Sean Murphy: Anyone who thinks that there was justification for the invasion of Ukraine has the intellect of a lettuce leaf.
@E.J. Murray: that is not fair to the lettuce
@David A. Murray: there’s a meme circulating online that most normie westerners are NPC’s(Non-Player Characters) that just mindlessly consume whatever the mainstream media pump at them. And when you say something to them that’s outside of that mainstream programming they just stare back at you angrily and don’t know what to say. I wonder where that meme came from haha.
@E.J. Murray: launching a coup d’état that results in a democratically elected President to flee the country and installing a bunch of western puppets in his place is justification enough for invasion. Add on top of that the arming and training of Neo-Nazis to fight on Russias borders and that’s further justification. Western Libs stay mad.
@Sean Murphy: — I was pretty accurate with my comment re the lettuce leaf.
@Sean Murphy: I really hope you are a Russian bot because no one with any sense of fair play can think that. If you are Irish and think the Ukrainians deserve this shame on you
@Sean Murphy: I am waiting for your explanation of how bomb.img innocent people to smithere.ens is justified.
@Sean Murphy: how’s putin’s roubles feel Sean? I suppose you believe the atrocities are staged also? Go on debase yourself a bit more by saying it
@Sean Murphy: the president and vice president of Ukraine are Jewish.. you are a bot ??
@John Comerford: when did I ever say that Ukrainians ‘deserve’ this? The statement was put forward that there was no justification for invasion and I just pointed out how there clearly was, that’s not the same thing as saying the people deserve it. You lot can choose to live in a NATO propaganda bubble where all context leading up to this conflict is removed if you like. But it doesn’t change the fact that Russia had completely legitimate national security concerns in Ukraine and had it been Russia doing this in Mexico or Canada the Yanks would’ve had boots on the ground years ago.
@Sean Murphy: do you think Ireland has legitimate reasons to invade the North and if so (obviously our lack of a decent military aside) think we should execute that right even though Northern Ireland is as far as we’re concerned a separate nation?
@Tony Stanley: You’re leaving out all the context as usual. If the UK orchestrated a coup, with loyalist gangs (see Ukrainian Nazis) providing the muscle, against an Ireland friendly NI President – forcing him to flee to Ireland after threats from loyalists. Then UK ambassadors (see Victoria Nuland & Geoffrey Pyatt) were caught on tape picking the next government, who were pro-UK and anti-ireland, after the coup. Then regions of ethnic Irish on the border wanted to break away from NI and the UK began sending weapons and training to the NI military, which had now incorporated loyalist gangs into it, to fight ethnic Irish on our own border. Then yes it would be very rational to say that Ireland had legitimate national security concerns in this situation.
@Sean Murphy: Just to clarify, their national security concern was the risk that Ukraine would join NATO? The same NATO that was initially created to counter Russian (USSR) aggression? And to address this concern, they decided to show that Russian aggression against non-NATO countries is still a concern?
Honestly, the French and Americans were considering disbanding NATO a few years back. Now they’ve stepped up their presence in Eastern Europe, increased funding and become more united than they ever were nearly. So if you’re using those concerns as a justification for war, which is a sad excuse, then it looks like they had no idea what they were doing from the get go
@E.J. Murray: Yes, lettuce leaf comparison seems very accurate here
Pull the entire Irish embassy out of Russia. We’ve no reason to have any relations with Russia.
@Seán Ó Briain: That would leave Irish citizens in Russia completely stranded though.
@Cian Nolan: all you need is a consulate at best.
@Cian Nolan: their choice the can go to one of our EU members embassy for assistance.
@Cian Nolan: In the words of Moe Szyslak: “Ah, they shouldn’t have been there in the first place.”
@Cian Nolan: There is no Embassy in UAE,nearest one is Saudi Arabia. I dont see anyone worrying about that…
So reduce presence here now to 2
@Jonathan O’Riordan: yes exactly, get them all out down to two, give them a bag of Ukraine coal for an open fire, as I believe nobody will deliver them oil.
Life is a great leaner,karma and all that jazz.
@Jonathan O’Riordan: Ah, the old eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth approach. If we lived by that we’d all be blind and toothless.
@Rory Jennequin: no I just believe that no one country is better than another so two will do
@Rory Jennequin: too many eyes and teeth in Orwell Road
Why does Russia have such a big Embassy staff for such a small country like Ireland. The Irish government should make more enquiries about this. As we have only 6 oopps 4 then Russian Embassy should be made matched.
@Mick McGuinness: because the FSB need room for their computer hacking servers and agents to spy.
@Mick McGuinness: I spoke to a journalist who had a special interest in this matter. They operate a huge intelligence operation out of there. Ireland is an easy target for our lackluster security services coupled with the significant number of American multinationals here. Same for the Chinese.
@Ed: TBF all embassies do the same.
@Mick McGuinness: it’s well nigh time for an even match of embassy staff numbers. That should have happened regardless of the war. Is the DFA asleep or something?
Bring it on…..let’s close the Russian embassy and send a message,this is an opportunity to show the world we’ve the ba//s
@David cotter: 100%, Ireland can have a huge impact on this war. Wel show Russia we mean business and they will know who’s boss.
@John Moloney: Yes, I’m sure the Russians are cacking themselves at the might of the Irish.
Ireland need to ask the Russian ambassador to leave ASAP should have been done before now
So why are there Still so many left in the Russian embassy and what are they doing here ?
Close the whole embassy and send theirs packing too.
That’s expected to happen
The dogs on the street know why the Russians have such a big embassy in ireland. Stop Facilitating them. Down to two staff tomorrow.
FK Putin
@United Ireland: I think its Vladimir
Real schoolyard stuff, Russia really is showing itself to be a petulant child
Do your but, put a Ukraine flag on your Facebook page or a rainbow flag with “No war” on it.
@John Moloney: Yea, and you keep posting this same thing every day thinking you are clever and funny, literally Ive seen you post this three days in a row.
Is Eir mobile better than Vodafone does anyone know?
@Noel Donohue: what’s a tracker mortgage Noel
@Muckser Maher: i haven’t a clue mine is fixed rate
@Noel Donohue: voda is way better coverage from my experience, especially in the country
@Noel Donohue: get gomo and be able to afford food
@Sandra Molloy: I have it and I’m in Dublin and the amount of times my phone doesn’t ring because the coverage is bad is madness. I’m between 3 masts so no excuse yet if I’m in my bedroom (next door to the sitting room and on the same external wall) my phone doesn’t work…. Gomo’s reply, yea that can happen
Chuck all the staff on russian embassy in dublin back to Moscow and put the embassy to good use ,convert it to a home for Ukrainian refugees .
Wt f is anyone Irish doing there
@Genera L Consensus: working?
Can we swap them for crazy cat Clare, Moscow Mick and those other PBP goons please
So are the rest of the lads in bunk beds out there?
I’m sure the lads will be happy to get home, sure Russia a bit of an old s h I t h o l e all the same…
They were clearly aces of spies…like the Ruskies that were deported from Ireland
Wow. How rude
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