Pressure grows on Government to expel Russian Ambassador from Ireland

Pressure is growing on the Government to expel the Russian ambassador, as protests continued today in Dublin against the invasion of Ukraine.

On Saturday afternoon, dozens of protesters once again gathered outside the Russian Embassy on Orwell Road in Rathmines to call on Russia to end the attacks on Ukraine.

Labour TD Ivana Bacik and Fianna Fail MEP Billy Kelleher were among the crowd outside the embassy.

A protest was also held in Dublin city centre on Saturday, as crowds gathered at the GPO on O’Connell Street to oppose the Russian action in Ukraine.

It comes amid growing calls for the Russian Ambassador, Yury Filatov, to be expelled from Ireland.

Members of the governing coalition parties joined in calls from Sinn Fein and other opposition parties to have Yury Filatov removed from the country.

By 6pm on Saturday, 32 Fianna Fail TDs and senators had signed a petition calling on Mr Filatov to be expelled.

The petition read: “In response to the unlawful invasion of Ukraine by president Putin, and to show Ireland’s support for Ukraine’s government and people, we the undersigned backbench Fianna Fáil TDs and senators call upon the Irish Government to expel the Russian ambassador to Ireland Yury Anatoliyevich Filatov.”

Earlier, the chair of the Oireachtas Foreign Affairs Committee and senior Fine Gael TD Charlie Flanagan, had also tweeted a call for the ambassador to be forced to leave Ireland.

This comes one day after the Russian Ambassador to Ireland had a ‘car crash’ interview with RTE broadcaster David McCullagh, where the ambassador said the war in Ukraine was an “emotional issue” and a “humanitarian crisis”.