The Russian Embassy in Ireland is running out of fuel for heating and hot water and is complaining that numerous Irish oil companies have refused to deliver supplies.
It has forced the embassy to write a letter to Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney’s department asking the Government to intervene before they run out.
In a letter seen by the Irish Mirror, the Russians – ironically one of the world’s biggest oil exporters before the Ukraine invasion – have requested Foreign Affairs “intervenes into this clearly discriminatory case”.
READ MORE: Senators slam Russian Ambassador invite to hear Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy address Dail
A source said: “The embassy is struggling because no one wants to do business with them as a result of what’s happening in Ukraine. It’s not only some oil companies they’re having issues with, it’s banks too and many more businesses.”
The Irish Mirror also understands that Bank of Ireland has decided to suspend their accounts with the Russian Embassy in Ireland, according to senior sources.
When contacted, a spokesman for Bank of Ireland said the firm can’t comment on any individual account. It’s understood the embassy also had both its boiler contract and fuel card account ended by separate companies.
A second source said: “The Department of Foreign Affairs wouldn’t be stepping in to get anyone anything.”
The letter sent by the Russian embassy to Minister Coveney’s Department on March 22 reads: “The current provider of fuel to the Embassy has refused to deliver diesel to our mission.
Have an opinion on this topic? Share your views in the comments section
“The Embassy checked other providers in [the] Dublin area for the availability of diesel supplies, but they have all refused to cooperate. The Embassy is left with a very limited supply that will last till the end of the week only.
“This diesel is an essential commodity, since it is used for heating and hot water supply of the Chancery, as well as the residential area of our mission. The Embassy requests that the Department intervenes into this clearly discriminatory case.”
When contacted by the Irish Mirror, the Russian Embassy refused to say if it had since secured fuel. The Russian Ambassador’s press secretary, Nikita Isakin, said: “The Embassy does not disclose the details of its communications with the Department or any other third party.”
A Department spokesman said: “The department doesn’t comment on the operation of embassies.”
The Russian Embassy here has also expressed to the Department of Foreign Affairs that Russian people living in Ireland feel unsafe and discriminated against as a result of the war in Ukraine.
Get all the latest news updates straight to your inbox by signing up for the Irish Mirror newsletters here
