491,307 metric tons: The alumina volume shipped from Ireland to Russia since March

Irish cargo ships loaded with white powder have departed the River Shannon estuary for Russian ports, carrying a substance that experts say ends up in weapons. The alumina is refined at the Aughinish plant in County Limerick, a facility owned by the Russian company Rusal. The refinery is Europe's largest producer of the material, which is used to make aluminum for everything from toothpaste to missiles.

The debate over these exports has intensified as dozens of European leaders gather in Dublin this week. They will meet for a summit of the 47-nation European Political Community on Thursday, followed by a meeting of European Union leaders. The timing places the refinery squarely in the middle of discussions on how to support Ukraine's defense against Russia's invasion.

The volume of trade has grown since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in 2022. According to the activist group Alumina 22, approximately 491,307 metric tons of alumina left Ireland for Russia between March and October of this year. A 2026 report from the Economic Security Council of Ukraine notes that Russia's supplies from other sources have dropped by about 40% since the war began. Ireland now provides roughly 17% of Rusal's alumina supply.

Rusal was founded by Oleg Deripaska, a sanctioned oligarch with ties to President Vladimir Putin. The company was bought in 2007 and built in the 1970s. MarineTraffic data analyzed by The Associated Press shows a steady stream of cargo ships from Aughinish heading directly to St. Petersburg. An investigation by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project and the Irish Times found that this alumina is smelted into aluminum in Russia, with some sold to a metals trading company that supplies defense contractors.

Irish Minister for State Niall Collins told The Associated Press that there is "absolutely no evidence" the material is entering military supply chains. The government has declined to make public the findings of its investigation, though it has shared them with the European Commission. The Commission is currently sounding out member nations about potential sanctions, a process that requires unanimous agreement from all 27 countries.

Irish lawmaker Ivana Bacik, who leads the opposition Labour Party, argued that the material is clearly ending up in military supplies. She stated it would be unthinkable for Ireland to contribute to the war effort indirectly. Her party supports a temporary nationalization of the refinery to halt exports to Russia, a move similar to the seizure of banks after the 2008 financial crisis.

Prime Minister Micheál Martin acknowledged in June that Ireland does not want material from its plants to support the Russian war machine. However, Enterprise Minister Peter Burke noted in July that it has been impossible to prove Rusal's assertion that the alumina is only used for export. The European Parliament passed a non-binding motion in July calling for a ban, but alumina was left out of the EU's 21st sanctions package.

Local sentiment in the port town of Foynes is mixed. Retired docker Joe Hanlon noted that the plant provides too much employment for the government to easily close it. Yet he said Ireland should act if it wants to stop the war, reflecting the tension between economic stability and geopolitical alignment.