Russia has imposed sanctions on Irish government ministers and dozens of other officials over Dublin’s “anti-Russian” political course, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.
A total of 52 Irish officials, including Prime Minister Micheal Martin, Deputy Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, as well as the foreign, justice, and finance ministers, found their way onto the blacklist, the statement said. Some parliamentarians, including the chairman of the Irish parliament’s Lower House, Sean O Fearghail, were put on the list as well.
Ireland is waging “an aggressive anti-Russian propagandist campaign,” acting on Brussels’ orders, the Foreign Ministry’s statement said. Dublin has also decided to “scale down bilateral cooperation against its own interests,” the ministry noted, adding that Moscow will be guided by Dublin’s actions in bilateral relations.
Martin hit back by calling Moscow’s decision part of “a broader propaganda war ... waged by Russia.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever been sanctioned before,” the prime minister said, adding that “cool heads” are needed in a situation like this.
A member of the EU, Ireland joined the Western sanctions imposed on Russia over its military operation in Ukraine. In March, a man rammed a truck through the front gate of the Russian Embassy in Dublin.