Share Source: The Financial Times
In the EU, they are calling for sanctions against an Irish plant associated with Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska.
Key takeaways:
- An Irish plant may be involved in the production of weapons for the Russian military machine.
- Sanctions from the EU may be imposed on the Irish enterprise due to its ties with a Russian oligarch.
Irish Plant May Be Linked to Russian Military Machine
A scandal is brewing around Ireland concerning the export of alumina from a plant owned by a Russian company, which could potentially be used in Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine. This situation puts Dublin in an awkward position on the eve of its presidency of the European Union.
The Financial Times newspaper reports that the Aughinish Alumina plant in southwestern Ireland is Europe’s largest such facility and a primary supplier of raw materials for aluminum production.
Although the plant itself is not subject to EU sanctions, its owner, the Russian company Rusal, one of the world’s largest aluminum producers, was founded by oligarch Oleg Deripaska, who is under sanctions from the US, EU, and UK.
“If it turns out that the plant’s exports are used for the production of weapons used against Ukraine, then Ireland must call the European Commission and say… you need to take action,” stated Irish MEP Regina Doherty, representing the center-right Fine Gael party, part of the ruling coalition.
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The Irish government has stated that it is conducting an investigation but has no information that alumina from the plant is being used in Russian weapons manufacturing. However, Russian customs reports for 2025 show that the largest recipient of alumina was Rusal’s plant in Krasnoyarsk.
According to an investigation by The Irish Times, Rusal’s trading arm sells aluminum from this plant to ASK, a trading house that supplies products for the military-industrial complex.
A recent analysis by the Kyiv School of Economics (KSE) also indicated that at the time the Kremlin began concealing information on state procurement in 2023, aluminum was a key commodity that military companies were purchasing in large quantities. KSE sanctions expert Pavlo Shkurenko commented:
“Aluminum and its alloys are used in the production of tanks, armored vehicles, fighter jets, missile systems, and recently, unmanned aerial vehicles. For example, reactive variants of long-range drones like the Geran-3 (Shahed) require high-purity aluminum alloys.”
“It is becoming increasingly evident that materials produced in Ireland are part of the Russian war machine. This is unacceptable, and we urge the European Commission to take action and impose sanctions on all exports to Russia of materials that could be used to produce weapons or drones that kill Ukrainian citizens daily,” stated the co-chair of the European Greens, Ciarán Cuffe.
In turn, Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin stated that Aughinish is an important employer in the region, but “we do not want our products to be converted in any way into weapons or explosives that could be used against Ukraine or other countries.”
The Embassy of Ukraine in Dublin expressed “serious concern regarding the continued export of alumina from Ireland to the Russian Federation.” In a post on social media platform X, the diplomatic mission referred to a “disturbing trade flow” of alumina to Russia, which increased to 315 million euros in 2025 from 196 million euros in 2021.
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The scandal erupts against the backdrop of Ireland, which has welcomed a large number of Ukrainian refugees, assuming the presidency of the EU on July 1.