Wide-ranging sanctions on the Russian aluminium smelters supplied by the Aughinish Alumina plant in Co Limerick have been announced by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
The move targets four smelters which, according to an Irish Times investigation published earlier this year, receive hundreds of millions of euro worth of alumina, the raw material used to make aluminium, from Aughinish annually.
These exports have increased dramatically since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Ukrainian officials said the latest sanctions are in response to the view of the government in Kyiv that these smelters are supplying Russia’s military industry, including manufacturers of drones, tanks and long-range missiles.
The sanctions are also designed to increase pressure on the Republic and European Union to sanction Rusal, the Russian parent company of Aughinish, or otherwise stop Irish alumina exports to Russia, said Ukrainian officials.
“It is clear to us that this alumina from Ireland is being used in Russian missiles. There is no other explanation,” said Vladyslav Vlasiuk, Zelenskiy’s commissioner for sanctions policy.
He said Ukrainian authorities became aware of the issue about three months ago and have since gathered evidence concerning the alumina supply chain in Russia. This evidence has been passed to the Government and EU, he said.
“We hope now Ireland will take action to stop the sale of aluminium to Russia and that the EU will also take action. We don’t want to interrupt European trade, we just want to stop the sale of alumina to Russia so it can be turned into missiles,” added Vlasiuk.
The measures target the Krasnoyarsk facility, one of the largest aluminium smelters in the world. It received about 500,000 tonnes of alumina, worth about €170 million, from Aughinish in 2024. Other smelters in Sayanogorsk Bratsk and the Ural Mountains were also sanctioned.
From the Shannon to Siberia: How alumina from a Limerick refinery enters Russia’s weapons supply chain
- Aughinish Alumina in Co Limerick supplies vast amounts of raw materials to Russian aluminium smelters, according to an investigation by The Irish Times and the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP).
- Read the full investigation here.
The Irish Times investigation, which was carried out in co-operation with other European media outlets and the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, found these smelters were selling large portions of their output to a trading company called ASK, which in turn supplies dozens of Russian weapons manufacturers.
All of the newly sanctioned entities are owned by Rusal. The Rusal parent company is already subject to Ukrainian sanctions, as is ASK and most of the weapons manufacturers.
To date, the Republic and EU have resisted calls to cease alumina exports to Russia. Irish Ministers have warned about the threat this could pose to the roughly 1,000 jobs provided by the Aughinish plant in Co Limerick and the wider region. They argue sanctioning Aughinish would harm the EU more than it would Russia.
Last month, the Government completed a long-awaited investigation into the alumina supply chain. It concluded there is not enough evidence to show Irish alumina is being used in Russian weapons, but that there is also not enough evidence to rule out the possibility. The report stated it had received information from Ukraine about the use of Irish alumina in Russia.
“While documentation provided by the Ukrainian authorities was welcome and prompt, it did not contain tangible evidence that could directly link Aughinish with the Russian military or producers of military goods or weapons,” the report stated.
The potential inclusion of sanctions targeting alumina exports to Russia is expected to be discussed at an EU level in the coming months as member states negotiate a 22nd package in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Last month, MEPs in the European Parliament voted in favour of a motion calling for the European Commission to sanction alumina exports.