Why Zelenskiy’s nod to Aughinish Alumina puts pressure on Irish Government

On a visit to Dublin last week, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy briefly burst the upbeat mood of the EU presidency party by criticising companies based in European countries that continue to supply essential materials to Russia’s military forces. He didn’t need to name the company that was on his mind; all present in Dublin Castle, including Taoiseach Micheál Martin, knew he was referring to Limerick-based Aughinish Alumina.In March, Irish Times investigative reporter Conor Gallagher revealed that the Russian-owned plant exports vast amounts of alumina, the raw material for aluminium, which ends up in a supply chain that supplies Russia’s military industry. Since then the pressure has been on the Government who make hard decisions about the alumina plant. Gallagher, who worked with the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) on the investigation, explains the reaction to his report, from publication in March to Zelenskiy‘s comments.Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.