The volume of exports from Aughinish Alumina to Russia has continued to increase in 2026, according to the latest trade data.
In the first six months of the year, 422,474 tonnes of alumina – the raw material used to make aluminium – worth €119,528,000, was shipped from the Co Limerick facility to Russia. This translates to an average of 70,412 tonnes a month.
During the whole of 2025, the plant exported 775,985 tonnes to Russia or an average of 64,665 tonnes a month.
So far this year, almost 49 per cent of alumina exports from Aughinish have gone to Russia, up from 43 per cent last year. EU countries received 37 per cent, compared with 38 per cent last year.
READ MORE
From the Shannon to Siberia: How alumina from a Limerick refinery enters Russia’s weapons supply chain
How alumina from a Limerick refinery enters Russia’s weapons supply chain
Aughinish investigation: From the Shannon to Siberia
The Irish Times view on Aughinish Alumina: revelations pose urgent questions
Overall, exports from the plant to Russia have risen significantly since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
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 Russian-owned facility has come under intense scrutiny since the publication of an Irish Times investigation last March showing its links to a supply chain that supplies the Russian military industry.
The plant and its Russian owner, Rusal, deny its material is being used in Russian weapons. A Government investigation concluded there was not enough evidence to make a definitive finding.
According to the latest trade data for 2026 from the Central Statistics Office (CSO), exports of alumina to Russia peaked in March when just under 100,000 tonnes left the plant. In June, this dropped to just over 42,000 tonnes, the lowest volume to date this year.
Rusal’s precarious financial situation may soon translate into even greater demand for Irish alumina in Russia. According to the Russian business newspaper Kommersant, Rusal intends to mothball four of its alumina plants in Russia that supply the company’s various aluminium smelters. These are run at an annual loss of €687 million to Rusal.
The company has applied to Russia’s prime minister, Mikhail Mishustin, for permission to temporarily suspend operations at the plants. If this happens, Rusal will be much more reliant on alumina produced outside of Russia, including that produced in the Co Limerick plant.
It is understood some EU member states intend to argue that sanctions should be imposed to prevent export of Irish alumina to Russia. Negotiations on the next round of EU sanctions targeting Russia are due to begin shortly, with the European Commission aiming to implement them before winter.
Last week, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced Kyiv is sanctioning the main recipients of Irish-made alumina in Russia. 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 EU to sanction Rusal 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.