Ireland

The Irish factory Aughinish Alumina has been shipping the bulk of its product to Russia, despite claims from Dublin that the plant primarily serves the European Union, the Irish Times reported on May 30.

The new data undermines Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin's arguments against sanctioning the plant, Ireland's only producer of alumina, in the EU's next package of sanctions against Russia. Previously, Martin said restrictions on Aughinish Alumina would cause more harm to the EU than to Russia.

But in the first quarter of 2026, 83% of Ireland's alumina exports went to Russia, according to figures obtained by the Irish Times. This amounts to 200,619 tons, the largest exports since the outbreak of the full-scale war in 2022.