How An Irish Alumina Producer Is Still Feeding Russia’s War Industry—Legally

An Irish alumina refinery owned by Russian aluminum giant Rusal has continued exporting key raw materials to Russia, with data suggesting the supply chain may ultimately support the country’s weapons production.

According to The Guardian on March 24, trade and shipping records indicate that alumina shipments from the Aughinish Alumina plant in western Ireland to Russian smelters have increased significantly since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The outlet reports that Ireland exported alumina worth $243 million to Russia in 2022, with that figure rising by 55% to $376 million in 2024.

The refinery—located on the Shannon estuary and owned by Rusal since 2006—is the only alumina producer in Ireland and one of the largest in Europe. The material it produces, aluminum oxide, is a key input for aluminum manufacturing, which has both civilian and military applications.

Further analysis of leaked data, cited by The Guardian and shared with investigative outlets including OCCRP and The Irish Times, suggests that alumina exported from Ireland is processed at Russian facilities, including a major smelter in Krasnoyarsk. The resulting aluminum is then reportedly sold through intermediary trading companies to Russian defense manufacturers.

Companies linked to Russia’s defense sector—including producers of missiles and explosives—paid approximately $337 million for aluminum under state defense contracts between February 2022 and April 2025. One of the reported recipients is the Sverdlov plant, a manufacturer of missile casings and high explosives.

Despite these links, the trade does not violate current EU sanctions. As The Guardian notes, alumina is not included in EU sanctions lists, making its export to Russia legal. The Irish government reiterated that “the Aughinish plant is not subject to sanctions by the EU,” and that alumina “is also not a sanctioned good.”

A spokesperson for Aughinish Alumina told The Guardian that the company operates “in strict compliance with all applicable EU laws, including sanctions, export control measures and trade regulations,” adding that it maintains a “robust sanctions compliance and due diligence framework covering its entire supply chain.”

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However, experts cited by The Guardian point to structural gaps in global supply chains. Professor Aristides Matopoulos of Cranfield University said: “When you trace the supply chain – from bauxite mine to alumina refinery, to smelter, to trading intermediary, and ultimately to a weapons producer – it becomes clear that every node in the chain could appear fully compliant while still enabling strategic materials to reach sanctioned end users.”

Earlier, according to a report by Transparency International Russia, between February 2022 and January 2025, Russia conducted at least $8 billion in trade through companies registered in British Overseas Territories, primarily the British Virgin Islands and Bermuda, potentially bypassing sanctions imposed after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

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