Russian Diplomat Expelled in Fake Passport Scheme

Anna Chapman - Russian spy with Irish passport

(Dublin, Ireland) Last year, the U.S. exposed a Russian spy ring (which included the beautiful redhead Anna Chapman) and discovered that the spies all had traveled on fake Irish passports.

For the fake passport scheme, the Irish government decided to expel a Russian diplomat from the country.

Ireland expelled a Russian diplomat Tuesday after an investigation found Moscow had stolen the identities of six of its citizens to use for spies' passports, the Irish foreign ministry said.

Irish police launched the investigation last year following the discovery of a Russian spy ring in the United States, after US authorities alleged that at least one of the spies had travelled on an Irish passport.

Among the Russians was Anna Chapman, a seductive redhead who became a star due to the scandal, posing on the cover of Maxim magazine and engaging in publicity stunts such as sending off cosmonauts from the Baikonur cosmodrome.

Quoting police sources, The Irish Times said Ireland had concluded that a Russian agent based in Dublin had gathered details from Irish passports that were then effectively cloned in Russia for the US-based spies.

The Russians are pissed and promised to take retaliatory measures.