Ukraine reacts to suspected delivery of Irish missile components to Russia
Photo: Andrii Sybiha, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine (GettyImages)
Ukraine has supported an investigation into possible supplies of European alumina that could be used by Russia’s defense industry, according to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.
The minister reacted to reports about possible European-produced alumina entering supply chains linked to Russia’s defense sector.
According to him, this information is of serious concern, as aluminum remains one of the key materials used in the production of missiles, drones, military aviation, and other types of weapons used by Russia against Ukraine.
"No aluminium for the Russian war machine," the head of Ukrainian diplomacy stressed.
Sybiha said Kyiv welcomes the decision of the Irish authorities to launch an official investigation into the possible export of such raw materials and expects the investigation to be fast, independent, and fully transparent.
He noted that European production capacities and logistics chains should not directly or indirectly serve the needs of Russia’s military-industrial complex.
Instead, he argued, Moscow should be deprived of access to critical resources and materials needed to continue weapons production.
The Foreign Minister also recalled that previously introduced EU restrictions on cellulose and chromium have already proven effective. In his view, a similar approach should be applied to alumina supplies as well.
Background
The statements were triggered by reports on the activities of Ireland’s Aughinish plant, which is considered Europe’s largest alumina producer. The facility is owned by Rusal, a company founded by Russian businessman Oleg Deripaska, who is under Western sanctions.
According to Russian customs documents reviewed by Financial Times journalists, one of the largest recipients of Aughinish’s output in 2025 was Rusal’s plant in Krasnoyarsk.
According to the Kyiv School of Economics, the city is included in the list of key hubs of Russia’s military-industrial complex.
In addition, the Irish Times reported that aluminum from the Krasnoyarsk plant may have been supplied through trading structures to companies linked to Russia’s defense industry.
Experts note that aluminum and its alloys are widely used in the production of armored vehicles, aviation, missile systems, and unmanned aerial systems.
