The Aughinish Alumina plant, owned by the Russian company Rusal, operates in Ireland and legally exports alumina to the aggressor country. This is reported by UNN with reference to the Financial Times.
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The facility, located in southwestern Ireland, is the largest of its kind in Europe and a major supplier of raw materials for aluminum production. The plant itself is not subject to EU sanctions, but its owner is Rusal, one of the world's largest aluminum companies. Its founder is Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, who is under sanctions by the US, EU, and UK.
In 2018, the US added Rusal to its sanctions list, but a year later removed the Russian giant from the list after it reduced Deripaska's stake and voting rights, the publication reports.
If it turns out that the plant's products are being used in the production of weapons aimed at Ukraine, Ireland must inform the European Commission that action needs to be taken
At the same time, the Irish government states that it is conducting an investigation but has no information that alumina from the plant is entering the production of Russian weapons.
As noted by Pavlo Shkurenko, an expert at the Kyiv School of Economics, aluminum and its alloys are used in the production of tanks, armored vehicles, fighter jets, missile systems, and unmanned aerial vehicles. In particular, high-purity aluminum alloys are required for jet turbine variants of UAVs, such as the Geran-3 or Shahed.
Aughinish is an important employer, but we do not want our products to be used in any way for the production of weapons or explosives that harm Ukraine or other countries
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