All news on the topic: Aughinish Alumina

Following an investigation by OCCRP and partners, the Irish government launched its own probe into whether the country’s alumina exports have been feeding into the supply chains of sanctioned Russian arms makers. Here is what the leaked report says, what questions remain, and what comes next.

Ann Ryan’s home looks across an inlet in the Shannon estuary and straight into a geopolitical crisis. From her front window in south-west Ireland, she can see the factory accused of helping supply Russia’s war on Ukraine.

The European Parliament backed a non-binding call to ban alumina exports to Russia, increasing pressure on Ireland and the EU after a collaborative OCCRP investigation linked an Irish refinery’s supply chain to Russian arms manufacturers.

The EU stopped short of banning alumina exports in its 21st sanctions package against Russia. This decision comes despite mounting pressure following investigations that revealed raw materials from Ireland’s Aughinish plant were feeding into the supply chain of Russia’s military-industrial complex.

European lawmakers are pressuring the European Commission this week to stop an alumina refinery in Ireland from supplying material used to make Russian weapons deployed in the war on Ukraine.

Pressure is mounting on the EU to tighten sanctions after an OCCRP investigation found that alumina from a major Irish refinery flowed to Russian smelters whose aluminum reached sanctioned arms manufacturers.

Leaked transaction data reveals how a major refinery in Ireland is part of the aluminum supply chain for Russian weapons manufacturers arming Putin’s forces as they attack Ukraine.