Irish MEP on Ukraine secret service list for allegedly promoting Russian ‘propaganda’

The list includes 72 public figures across the globe who Ukraine deems to be sharing harmful narratives.

Ms Daly is the only Irish figure on the list. Others include US Republican senator Rand Paul, former Democrat Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard and US journalist Glenn Greenwald.

The list, which is titled “speakers who promote narratives consonant with Russian propaganda”, was published by the Centre for Countering Disinformation, a unit within the national security and defence council of Ukraine which is headed by president Volodymyr Zelensky.

Ms Daly is being accused of sharing two narratives - that sanctions against Russia “make innocent people suffer”, and that the Ukrainian conflict is “a proxy war between Nato and Russia.”

The left-wing MEP, who has been critical of Nato and Western countries’ response to the Russia’s invasion, as well as the invasion itself, told The Irish Times that the list includes a diverse range of people with nothing in common politically, except that they are critical of Nato and the West’s policies towards Ukraine.

“Now comes an attempt at a ‘blacklist’ issued by a government propaganda department,” she told the publication.

“But that is what a free and open discussion in a democratic society looks like. Ukraine trying to shut it down is a mirror image of the repressive behaviour we rightfully criticise in Russia. We shouldn’t be encouraging it.”