In The News How alumina from a Limerick refinery enters Russia’s weapons supply chain
Mar 24, 2026
Conor Gallagher, crime and security correspondent for The Irish Times, traced how alumina from Aughinish in Limerick moves through traders to Russian smelters and defence firms. He outlines the factory’s history, Rusal and oligarch ties, shipment routes from bauxite to aluminium, and why regulators hesitated to sanction this supply line.
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Limerick Alumina Feeds Russian Defence Industry
- Alumina from Aughinish in Limerick is shipped to Russia where it is smelted into aluminium and sold into Russia's defence supply chain.
- Conor Gallagher traced shipments: alumina → Russian smelters → a Moscow trader (ASK) → 107 defence contractors, many linked to weapons used in Ukraine.
Rusal's Vertical Chain Connects Mines To Russian Smelters
- Aughinish processes bauxite into alumina and exports most of it to Russia, including to Novorossiysk and on to Siberian smelters owned by Rusal.
- Rusal's vertically integrated chain: bauxite from Guinea/Brazil → Aughinish alumina → Krasnoyorsk smelter → aluminium.
Small Moscow Trader Channels Aluminium To Military Firms
- A small Moscow trader, Aluminum Sales Company (ASK), buys Rusal aluminium and supplies dozens of defence contractors, many sanctioned or implicated in attacks in Ukraine.
- Financial records show ASK has ~19 employees yet sells aluminium to 107 defence firms; 40 are EU-sanctioned and 18 tied to lethal weapons use.