Ireland probes Russian-linked Aughinish Alumina exports after Zelenskyy calls for EU sanctions

Ireland has pledged to ensure that alumina produced at the Russian-owned Aughinish Alumina refinery is not used to support Russia's military, after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged the European Union to sanction the facility during his visit to Dublin.

Speaking at a joint press conference on Wednesday following bilateral talks with Zelenskyy, Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin said the government's investigation into Aughinish Alumina's potential involvement in supplying material for Russian weapons production was nearing completion.

"We do not want to be in a position where material emanating from a plant in Ireland goes to support the Russian war machine," Martin said. He added that the investigation would conclude soon, after which Ireland would discuss the findings with the European Commission.

Zelenskyy welcomed the probe but called for a faster conclusion, saying he hoped the investigation would be completed in less than a month.

"Every tonne of raw material that ends up in Russia is used against us in this war. We hope we won't have to wait for a month," he said.

Earlier in the day, speaking at the opening ceremony of Ireland's six-month presidency of the European Union at Dublin Castle, Zelenskyy thanked the bloc for its continued support but called for additional sanctions targeting Russia.

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He added that the sanctions should also cover companies operating within Europe but owned or effectively controlled by Russia and sanctioned oligarchs, saying such businesses continued to supply Russia with essential materials.

The focus has fallen on Aughinish Alumina, located in County Limerick, Europe's largest alumina refinery. The plant is owned by Russian aluminium producer Rusal, a company founded by sanctioned oligarch Oleg Deripaska. While Deripaska is under sanctions imposed by the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom, neither Rusal nor Aughinish Alumina is currently subject to EU sanctions.

Ireland is examining how much alumina from the refinery is exported to Russia. According to Russian customs records from 2025, the largest recipient of Aughinish's alumina is Rusal's aluminium smelter in Krasnoyarsk, one of Russia's major aluminium production centres.

Last month, Ireland's Enterprise Minister Peter Burke questioned figures published by Ireland's national statistics office showing that 83 per cent of Aughinish's alumina exports in the first quarter were destined for Russia, saying the company had informed the government that the data contained an error. RUSAL said the actual figure was 51 per cent, compared with 45 per cent in 2025.

However, an EU diplomat said that even a 51 per cent export share remained significant, particularly while Russia continued large-scale missile and drone attacks on Ukraine.

According to the same diplomat, Ireland has resisted a "big push" by several EU member states to sanction Aughinish Alumina, arguing in private discussions that such measures could force the refinery to shut down. However, the diplomat contended that if sanctions would jeopardise the plant's operations, it indicated that the volume of alumina exported to Russia was substantial.

The refinery also exports alumina to Sweden and France.

The issue comes as Ireland begins its six-month rotating presidency of the European Union, during which the government has pledged to advance Ukraine's EU accession process following the formal launch of accession negotiations last month.

Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Irish government has considered the possibility of nationalising Aughinish Alumina, although it remains unclear whether that option is currently under active consideration.

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Information source: Financial times