A Fianna Fáil MEP has formally written to the Minister for Justice expressing serious concern about the granting of 14,000 visas to Russian citizens since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022.
According to Department of Justice figures, almost 97% of visa applications from Russian nationals are approved by Irish officials — one of the highest approval rates in the European Union, reports Breaking News.
MEP Barry Andrews raised the matter directly with Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan, saying in an interview: “A lot of those visas are perfectly legitimate and we need to be careful not to filter out genuine people who are coming to work, study or to reunite with loved ones for short periods of time.”
“However, there is of course serious concern about Russian infiltration, the use of civilians for espionage — this has happened across the European Union. The other EU member states have taken quite significant action to really restrict visas to make sure they are properly and thoroughly filtered, and I’m really posing the question as to whether Ireland is doing enough,” he said, reports Breaking News.
Andrews also highlighted that Ireland will hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union from 1 July to 31 December 2026, warning that this will make the State a particular target for foreign intelligence operations.
Russia has long regarded Ireland as a potential entry point to the EU, Andrews noted, pointing to longstanding controversy over the Russian Embassy on Orwell Road in Dublin, reports Breaking News.
“Previously the Irish Government has expressed its concern about the presence of Russian diplomats, which doesn’t accord with the amount of diplomatic relations between Ireland and Russia. The Government refused the planning permission application at the Russian Embassy back in 2018, concluding there was no legitimate reason to expand the footprint,” he said.
Andrews said British security officials had also communicated concern about Ireland’s visa approval statistics to their Irish counterparts, and called on the Government to review and tighten its screening process for Russian visa applicants, reports Breaking News.
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