The European Commission is preparing potential measures to restrict certain goods that could indirectly support Russia’s military production, with alumina — including material produced in Ireland — now under increased scrutiny.
The move follows an investigation by The Irish Times, in collaboration with the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, which found that the Aughinish Alumina plant has been exporting large volumes of alumina to smelters in Russia.
According to the investigation, the resulting aluminium is then sold to Moscow-based trading company ASK. However, ASK’s 2024 customer list reportedly included more than 40 EU sanctioned entities, many linked to Russia’s defence conglomerate Rostec and involved in the production of weapons systems such as anti-aircraft missiles, rocket systems and long-range bombers.
While investigators were unable to trace specific batches of alumina through to individual weapons — due to the blending of raw materials from multiple sources during smelting — trade and customs data indicate that since 2023, more than half of Aughinish’s alumina exports have been sent to Russian smelters owned by Rusal. Those smelters have subsequently sold more than $650 million worth of aluminium to ASK, which then supplies sanctioned defence-linked companies.
David O’Sullivan, Ireland’s former ambassador and the EU’s chief sanctions envoy, described the findings as “worrying” in comments to The Irish Times.
He said the EU would continue efforts to weaken Moscow’s capacity to sustain its war in Ukraine, including through “restricting access to commodities that could be processed and then used for the production of military equipment”.
O’Sullivan also called for stronger corporate due diligence, stressing that “the company should undertake a review” to ensure its exports are not ultimately feeding into Russia’s military supply chain.
Despite these concerns, alumina itself is not currently subject to EU sanctions. This comes even after the bloc banned imports of Russian aluminium in February 2025 as part of broader efforts to reduce revenue streams supporting the war effort. Overall EU-Russia trade has fallen by around 75% since 2022, yet alumina exports from Aughinish to Russia have reportedly doubled over the same period, while remaining fully legal under current rules.
Political pressure is now building in Brussels. European Parliament Vice President Pina Picierno has urged the Commission to consider including alumina in the next sanctions package, arguing it is “unacceptable that, while the EU funds Ukraine’s defence, a Russian owned company operates undisturbed within a member state, supplying the Kremlin’s military industry.”
In parallel, 39 Members of the European Parliament have also written to EU High Representative Kaja Kallas and Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič, calling for action to halt the “export of aluminium products to the Russian defence industry” and demanding further examination of the investigation’s findings.
In Ireland, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said there would be no change in state support for Aughinish Alumina, the EU’s largest refinery of its kind, which supplies around 37% of the bloc’s smelter-grade alumina and employs hundreds of workers locally.
“There are no restrictions on Aughinish Alumina, and there haven’t been, and Europe hasn’t proposed them,” Martin said, warning that any severe restrictions would be “devastating for Aughinish and all those working there as well.”
He added that the government is “keeping everything under review” and working with EU partners, noting that alumina remains a critical input for civilian industries across Europe.
Aughinish Alumina, for its part, told local media it is fully compliant with all EU regulations, stressing that alumina and aluminium are “basic commodities” used across a wide range of civilian applications.
