Links between Irish-made alumina and dozens of Russian weapons manufacturers must be treated “with the utmost concern”, Ukraine’s embassy in Ireland has said.
An Irish Times investigation, which was carried out in co-operation with the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project and other European outlets, found that the Aughinish Alumina plant in Co Limerick is shipping vast amounts of alumina to smelters in Russia where it is used to make aluminium.
This aluminium is then sold to a trading company, ASK, that supplies dozens of Russian arms manufacturers, according to leaked financial documents.
ASK sells aluminium to more than 100 companies that manufacture weapons and military equipment. These include the manufacturers of short-range ballistic missiles, which have caused hundreds of civilian deaths in Ukraine; Russia’s largest tank factory; and companies making components for Russian Sukhoi bombers and fighter jets.
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The Government has said the findings will be reviewed by the Department for Foreign Affairs and the Department of Enterprise while Belgium has committed to closing the sanctions “loophole” allowing the export of Irish alumina to Russia.
In a statement on Wednesday, the EU Commission’s sanctions chief David O’Sullivan said “the information reported, if accurate, is worrying.
“I am convinced that no legitimate European business is willing to sell goods to Russia that ultimately feed the military-industrial complex,” said O’Sullivan, who is from Ireland. “We all see the images of war crimes, missiles, and drones directly targeting innocent civilians in Ukraine.
“The commission will continue to act in order to undermine Russia’s ability to wage its war of aggression, including by restricting access to commodities that could be processed and then used for the production of military equipment.”
Minister for Enterprise Peter Burke confirmed the department was looking into the disclosures unearthed by the Irish Times’ investigation.
“The department is currently investigating the story, which really demonstrates the concern in relation to any circumvention of sanctions. But critically, you have to be at the forefront to say that Auginish is not a sanctioned company. Currently alumina is not a sanctioned product and is one which is strategically important to the European economy, with the huge flows that come from Auginish into the EU market as well,” he said.
Burke was speaking at the launch of a new AI studio by Irish company, Version 1, in Dublin.
It is understood Ukraine’s ambassador to Ireland Gerasko Larysa is to raise concerns about Irish alumina with the Taoiseach’s office. In a statement, Ukraine’s embassy said “the reported links between alumina produced in Ireland, and Russian aluminium used by entities connected to the arms sector, raise serious and legitimate concerns”.
Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine is sustained not just by direct military supplies “but also by complex global supply chains that may indirectly support its defence industry”, a spokesman said.
The embassy noted alumina and aluminium are not currently subject to EU sanctions and are widely used in civilian industry but “that this case illustrates the growing challenge of preventing dual-use and other materials from inadvertently entering Russian military supply chains”.
“The embassy emphasises that any indication that products originating in Europe may be contributing – directly or indirectly – to Russia’s war effort must be treated with the utmost concern.
“Ukraine fully recognises the economic and social importance of major industrial enterprises to local communities, alongside the clear complexities of global trade networks. However, Russia’s full-scale invasion has fundamentally altered the context in which such economic activities must be evaluated. Russian aggression undermines the security of the European Union and all of its member states.”
It welcomed the Government’s review of the issue “with a view to preventing any unintended support to Russia’s war effort while safeguarding the resilience of European supply chains”.
