Art OhEaghra.

The recent dastardly illegal military attack perpetrated by the Russian Federation on the sovereign territory of Ukraine helps me recall some memories from the past.

Back in the times of the USSR Ireland had a USSR Legation, Ambassador & Embassy staff based in Dublin, Ireland.

At that time the Ambassador was prohibited from travelling outside the surrounds of basically the pale without the express permission of the Irish Government. He/she was obliged to apply & submit proposed itinerary to the Department of Foreign Affairs so that a special garda squad “red section” could afford discreet surveillance. Dishonesty & disrespect for the protocols were displayed by the Russian legation who would try to deceive authorities by sending out decoy vehicle/s. The surveillance personnel were wary & alert to such Russian deception & untrustworthiness & despite insufficient resources it’s doubtful the ambassador ever managed to succeed in loosing the surveillance tail. This resulted in the Ambassador being called in & reprimanded by the Department of Foreign Affairs on occasions.

Unlike most European Union countries, Ireland does not have what we would describe as a separate civil security & intelligence service akin to say what is legally provided for in the UK such as MI5 and MI6 and GCHQ. Similarly in France there exists DGSE and DGSI. Denmark is or was, in my time another country that operated similarly to Ireland.

An Garda Síochána (AGS) performed such duties and tasks to fill in for the functionality of a security/intelligence service in the state in order to securely communicate & liaise with friendly services & be part of bilateral & multilateral security clubs in order to collate & disseminate intelligence on national & international terrorism in particular in both directions & to keep the national police service & the government via the Minister for Justice duly appraised.

In the eighties attempts were made by AGS to government via the Minister for Justice to regularise & place the International Liaison Office (ILO) on an acceptably legal or regulatory footing with clear protocols as functionality with a legal basis. Despite monthly reminders no written acknowledgment or response was ever received up to the turn of the millennium.

After the reconstitution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (Soviet Union) (USSR) when democratisation was attempted, author played a major part in setting up bilateral security/intelligence links with the Russian Federation. It worked well for both sides. How, or if it still exists is unknown at this time.

As a consequence of the obviously illegal war in Ukraine by the Russian Federation (RF), supported by the RF ambassador & legation staff in Dublin, would expect that at least the Ambassador & his key attaché’s are under close garda surveillance and have their travel in Ireland suitably and severely restricted.

Have always kept abreast of and a close interest in international affairs surrounding intelligence & security. Made many life-long friends in various parts of the world & always kept logical cognisance & alertness for the many unusual & questionable issues that have arisen in many quarters of our planet.

Find it astounding that Putin was ever accepted as a politician & afforded diplomacy by the leaders of what we might refer to as the free world. All those world leaders surely must have known through their security & intelligence services that Putin was a serious criminal with terrorist tendencies since he was deputy mayor of St. Petersburg. As deputy mayor he was investigated then by soviet authorities & an official order was made that he “should be dismissed from his office and no longer be appointed to public duty”.



Makes one wonder if some western leaders have engaged nefariously with Putin?

I’m adding below an article I penned in April 2021.

It’s what I put together on reflection & after some discussions with friends of what RF was doing in Ukraine since it’s initial attacks there in 2014. I already aired it in online comments in the Times & Sunday Times.

If the Kremlin is verifiably sponsoring an insurgency or military attack within the internationally recognised borders of the Ukraine with finance, armaments & its own military forces, as it appears now, then the West must respond with extreme punitive other measures, including sanctions against Putin’s Russia. The powers must be very careful not do another Arthur Neville Chamberlin type appeasement. Chamberlain has been subsequently castigated as a weakling (possibly true) in the face of German aggression (certainly true).

While these actions might not force Vladimir Putin to retreat in the foreseeable future, it would help to restrict his options for further action. It would also offer greater clarity to others dealing with Russia and the wider leadership of Russia, which must be fragmenting & will lead to another Russian Revolution.

Furthermore, it would remove any hint of Western geopolitical expediency suspected by many analysts, and it would offer greater predictability for the majority of the 45 million Ukrainians, 4.5 million Georgians and the 90 million others in the remaining ex-Soviet countries.

Putin already has a serious number of well trained sleeper military personnel in the aforementioned countries and also in many major western countries. His silence over recent years means he’s cooking more than just in the kitchen of his luxury bachelor pad!

Putin himself knows quite well he must rule the Russian Federation with an absolute iron fist & the utmost personal security least ‘they’ take the wobble out of his walk and get him. Life could be much shorter than expected. Navalny is not viable as an opposition leader but, there are others in the wings, every bit as ruthless as the wee puffy face-jobbed bear!

China 🇨🇳? For another day!

15 April 2021”