Honeytrapped Irish politician spied for Russia during Brexit saga

https://www.thetimes.com/world/ireland-world/article/honeytrapped-irish-politician-spied-for-russia-during-brexit-saga-k5wn7sfb2

Posted by youbigfatmess

21 Comments

  1. Medium-Historian2724 on

    Not to be sensationalist but shit like this shows that while we think ourselves neutral, The Russians definitely don’t see it that way

  2. Synopsis of the article.

    During the Brexit talks, Russian intelligence successfully recruited an Irish politician, codenamed “Cobalt,” through a honeytrap operation, aiming to exploit tensions between Britain, Ireland, and the EU. Despite being identified by Irish military and security services, Cobalt remains active in parliament and has yet to face legal consequences. Cobalt met with Sergey Prokopiev, a Russian spy, and allegedly offered to connect the Russians with Northern Ireland paramilitaries, furthering Moscow’s destabilization efforts. While no direct payments were made to Cobalt, his internet history and travel patterns were used for kompromat. Russian intelligence viewed Cobalt as a useful, easily influenced figure to disrupt public debate and promote Kremlin interests during a critical political period.

  3. WraithsOnWings2023 on

    After all the accusations of Mick Wallace and Clare Daly being Russian assets, how  funny would it be if this turns out to be a Fine Gaeler. The Times are calling the asset by the codename ‘Cobalt’ and there’s only one party in the Dáil with blue shirts that I’m aware of! 

  4. Spied on what? An Irish politician wouldn’t have access to British secrets? The trifle of incompetents that the British sent to negotiate weren’t exactly judicious with airing their intentions.

  5. Whoever it may be, they are currently a sitting member of the Dail or Seanad:

    >”The Irish military and security services identified the agent but, remarkably, **they are still at large in the country’s parliament.**”

    Given the fact they receive a healthy salary from taxpayers money, I think the identity of the culprit needs to be exposed.

    I don’t want to pay for Kremlin spies.

  6. im_on_the_case on

    Years from now we discover the alarming truth. Putin is only a puppet and it’s the Healy-Rae’s pulling his strings all along.

  7. TheFreemanLIVES on

    Not to diminish those Russian bastards interfering in our democracy, but it’s long suspected the Brits have had similar agents in Dail Éireann as well.

  8. A few things you could reasonably say or infer from what’s said in the article:

    – has no classified info so hasn’t served in cabinet 
    – is on Dáil committees
    – is currently a TD
    – is male
    – is possibly northern
    – is too young to have been a Provo and have paramilitary connections (so youngish) but old enough to have contacts in that world (assuming they weren’t bullshitting)

    It would also be reasonable to think they have been elected to Europe which is where they were contacted by Russian intelligence. Doubt if it happened in Buswells.

    And it’s reasonable to think a young man off in Europe might be out and about sampling some nightlife and be easy prey for intelligence services, if they do wanted.

    That they later went on to the Dáil obviously follows.

    – important enough to still bother with and risk exposure meeting (which happened)
    – possibly future ministerial material

    To my mind there is only possible candidate if my guesses and inferences above are correct. And that one candidate would have travelled far and wide as part of their European Parliament duties which ties in further with the story.

    For obvious reasons I can’t say and it would only be guesswork but it’s not too hard to figure out and creating a bit of a stir now before our general election makes sense.

  9. So the fact that they are unnamed is telling, isn’t it.
    Either they’re a big name, or they’re close with big names.