Comment by the Russian Ambassador to Ireland Mr Yuriy Filatov

to the Editor of “The Irish Times”

 

There are some conclusions to be made out of the coverage by the Irish media of the current political circus in London, surrounding the report by the UK Parliamentary Committee on intelligence and security on the so-called “Russian interference”.

Conclusion number one is that “The Irish Times” is by far the leader in the rusophobic category in Ireland, indulging regularly in the “Russia Scare” exercise. Exemplary are the latest article “Russia Could Exploit Border Poll – Claim” (“The Irish Times”, July 23, 2020) and the Editorial “Russian Interference. A Warning From London” (July 23, 2020), which once again try to whip up the anti-Russian sentiment, using the usual disinformation technique – presumption that if something is wrong, it has to be of Russian making, because Russia is “the root of all evil”.  The paper, of course, is entirely within its right to have an opinion, but at the same time it has to be responsible and careful – such false and weird claims, like “Kremlin ordered the murder of Putin’s critics on British soil”, – to name the most wild one, – make “The Irish Times” potentially liable for slander and defamation.

Another conclusion – and clearly worrying –   is that, judging by statements in the article by retired Irish intelligence officers, at least some part of the national security apparatus here is clearly infected with the rusophobia virus and anti-Russian prejudices. One can only wonder what kind of analysis the Irish Government  gets from the establishment, which in all seriousness believes that somehow technology and social media companies located in Ireland are “targeted”  by Russia (by the way, all of them work in Russia itself), or somebody in Moscow is plotting against Irish neutrality and stability.

All of that is a great disservice to the Irish public. The truth is that Russia has always been a friend of Ireland, open for a cordial, mutually respectful and beneficial relationship. It is especially true in this challenging times, when we need to pull together to overcome pandemia, to regain economic and social momentum. No amount of libel can change that.

Kind regards,

Yuriy Filarov,

Ambassador of Russia to Ireland

184-186 Orwell Road Rathgar Dublin 14

 

 

Link to "The Irish Times" article “Russia Could Exploit Border Poll – Claim” - https://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/russian-intelligence-could-exploit-irish-border-poll-security-experts-say-1.4311030