Russia Today, the Kremlin-sponsored news service with offices all over the world and a global audience of 700 million viewers, is currently under threat of having its license in the UK revoked after its coverage of the crisis in the Ukraine had broken impartiality rules. But that isn’t stopping the news network from expanding its reach. Plans for an office in Dublin have been leaked, reports Bloomberg Business, and the station plans to hire as many as 12 English-speaking writers in Ireland. The Russian channel is drawn to opening an office in Ireland because of Ireland’s low corporate tax rates and burgeoning technology center.
Russia Today has been in negotiations with the IDA (Irish Development Association), the government body responsible for bringing foreign investement to the country. The IDA had no comment on the matter and stated that it does not comment on discussions with potential investors. Russia Today was founded to “break the Anglo-Saxon monopoly” on news, said Vladimir Putin in 2013. The channel broadcasts 24 hours a day in English, Spanish and Arabic. Plans for a French-language service were postponed after Russia’s economic slump in 2014.
