Convicted bomber John Connolly (48) posed for photos alongside senior diplomats at the meeting on Monday.
Convicted bomber John Connolly (48) posed for photos alongside senior diplomats and other committee members from his campaign group, The Truth and Neutrality Alliance, on Monday.
Sharing photos of Fermanagh man Connolly on Facebook, the organisation said it was a “privilege” to be hosted at the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Ireland by the “very polite, engaging and hospitable Deputy Head of Mission, Cllr Igor Alekseev”.
John Connolly hunting
The group, which has almost 300 members, noted that a “range of topics were discussed” during the meeting, including requests that the embassy engage with the group to combat “Russophobia” in Ireland and beyond.
They wrote: “We expressed our displeasure and dismay at the recent state visit of Taoiseach Simon Harris to Kiev to sign a so-called 10-year friendship and co-operation bond with Ukraine.
“The Ukrainian co-signer of said bond (Volodomyr Zelenskyy) is basically ruling Ukraine on puppet strings pulled by the US State Department and Nato under martial law. He is by definition a dictator.
“Simon Harris, knowing all of this, firstly had no right to make a State visit there, and secondly had absolutely no right to sign this outrageous bond without the consent or approval of the Irish people.
“Other topics discussed at the meeting will be divulged at a later date, but we were extremely pleased with the outcome and hope to see more co-operation between us in the future.”
The group added that they were “pleased with the outcome” of the meeting and “hope to see more co-operation” with the Russian embassy in the future.
The statement also denied that the group was being influenced by external governments and NGOs before criticising “cowardly” journalists and gardaí who have suggested otherwise.
John Connolly was jailed for 14 years in 2000 after being caught with a Real IRA mortar bomb on his way to blow up a police station on Armistice Day.
Following his release from prison, he became involved with the Continuity IRA.
In 2021, he was linked to a publicity stunt in which dissidents claimed a sniper had shot at a police helicopter in Fermanagh.
Bullets from a Russian rifle found at the scene were found not to have been fired, and Connolly was suspected of scattering old ammunition to back up the bogus claims.
He was recently photographed taking part in pro-Russian protests outside the British embassy in Dublin with The Truth and Neutrality Alliance.
