Ukrainians living in Ireland have joined a growing chorus of condemnation of the decision by French drinks group, Pernod Ricard, to resume exporting some products, including Jameson whiskey, to Russia.
Activists staged a protest outside the headquarters of the firm's subsidiary, Irish Distillers, in Ballsbridge in Dublin this morning and called for the decision to be reversed.
The Ukrainian Action group claimed that what Pernod Ricard is doing is supporting a war.
"By doing business in Russia Irish Distillers will sponsor Russia's war machine and support the murder of Ukrainians," said Anatoliy Primakov, co-founder of Ukrainian Action.
"No amount of money can pay for human lives and it is unfortunate that Irish Distillers are ready to be willing contributors to Russia's war, consequences of which will have a generational impact on Ukraine, Ireland and the world."
Pernod Ricard said it had resumed limited shipments of some of its brands, including Jameson Irish Whiskey and Beefeater gin to Russia, to "ensure the economic viability" of its Russian operations.
The company had suspended exports to Russia following its invasion of Ukraine, along with many Western firms.
Last week it was forced to halt Absolut Vodka exports to Russia after a backlash in its home country, Sweden.
"Jameson don't just sell whiskey, they trade on the reputation of Ireland," said Anna Nolan of the Ukraine Solidarity Project.
"This disgraceful decision to return to Russia and contribute taxes to Putin’s war machine is a black mark against our country. Until they stop exports they will be known as Shamesons."
But in a statement released this evening, Pernod Ricard appeared to indicate that it has decided to end exports of its international brands to Russia.
It said that from the very beginning it has utterly condemned the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
"In fully complying with all international sanctions we significantly reduced the number and quantity of brands imported to a level that enabled us to protect our local teams, their livelihoods, and the welfare of their families," it said.
"This also meant reducing the quantities being sold to avoid 'intentional bankruptcy', which is a criminal offence in Russia and represents a significant risk for our employees."
"In doing everything we can to manage the situation, the reality of exiting Russia is both complex and extremely challenging."
It added that it fully understands and acknowledges the reaction over recent days as it sought to give context to the decisions it has taken.
"Many companies, in our industry and in others, have made the same difficult choice," it stated.
"We are working hard to find the best way to navigate this complexity, including stopping the export of our international brands while ensuring the welfare and safety or our team considering the local legal constraints," it said.
"Knowing that to do so will not prevent any of our brands falling into the hands of the 'grey market', which has strongly increased in recent months, over which we have no control."
The protest came as the French spirits group reported a bigger-than-expected decline in third-quarter sales.
But it said it was confident of delivering a strong performance over the 2022/2023 full year, predicting "very strong" sales in the fourth quarter.
Pernod, the world's second-biggest spirits group after Diageo, said that it expected consumer demand to recover further in China following the lifting of Covid restrictions.
It also banked on more favourable comparables in the US and in China, where it planned further price increases.
