Irish security services believe they were sent by Russia's elite foreign intelligence agency, the GRU, to check out the fiber-optic cables for weak points, The Sunday Times reported.
The country has also now ramped up security at landing sites along the Irish coast after the agents were reportedly also seen scouting out Dublin Port.
A sprawling network of transatlantic cables run under the world's oceans to power the internet, texts, calls, and global financial transactions.
About 97% of all intercontinental data is transferred through these cables, according to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.
Experts have warned the country could be the "new battle space of the future" because it's a global internet hub and a base for many worldwide tech firms.
Ireland is a prime location for these undersea maps because of its proximity to both America and Europe.
more:
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/10980886/russian-spies-in-ireland-undersea-cables/