Four senior Russian officials have been asked to leave the State.

The Taoiseach confirmed the news to the Dáil this afternoon.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said the Russian Ambassador was summoned to Iveagh House and told that the four officials were being asked to leave because “their activities have not been in accordance with international standards of diplomatic behaviour”.

The department said the government continues to believe that diplomatic channels between Ireland and the Russian Federation should remain open.

“This is in the interests of our citizens as well as to ensure that we can continue to have a diplomatic channel of communication between Ireland and the Russian Federation in the future,” it said.

“This channel of communication has been important in the context of conveying our strong views on the Russian Federation’s war against Ukraine, which we regard as a serious breach of international law.”

The officials are being asked to leave under Article 9 of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

Main image is a file photo of the Russian Embassy after the country’s logo was daubed in red paint, 24-02-2022.