The revelations in The Irish Times about Aughinish Alumina in Limerick came a day after Russia launched a wave of missile and drone attacks across Ukraine that killed four people and injured dozens more. While the Government has refused to arm Ukraine’s military, a plant in Ireland has exported vast amounts of alumina via its Russian parent company United Company Rusal to Russian smelters. The Government has ruled out the provision of “lethal aid” – such as weapons and ammunition – as that would violate Irish neutrality. Government pronouncements on the need for wide-ranging sanctions in response to the war in Ukraine have been unambiguous. The alternative, their governments concluded, was to feed the Russian war economy.

Source: The Irish Times March 28, 2026 09:03 UTC