Tony Connelly

RTE Europe Editor, Author Brexit & Ireland, co-presenter Brexit Republic Podcast

[Tony Connelly @tconnellyRTE]

Officially out today: brand new edition of Brexit & Ireland: the Dangers, the Opportunities, the Inside Story of the Irish Response, fully updated https://t.co/FzCMX2gdNn

[Jorge Liboreiro @JorgeLiboreiro]

Alumina is not included in the 21st package of EU sanctions, despite the revelations regarding Aughinish Alumina in Ireland.

[Joyce Karam @Joyce_Karam]

Heartbreaking: Fahd Abu Haykal bids farewell to his 7-month-old baby, Sam, shot by Israeli occupation in Hebron. Family was in car when soldier fired at them. Israeli military said it was a mistake, expressed “deep sorrow”. Mother in critical condition..

[John O’Brennan @JohnOBrennan2]

The US soldiers who landed at Normandy were nothing but honourable and helped European democracy survive.

Hegseth is completely dishonourable and wants European democracy to collapse.

[RTÉ News @rtenews]

Irish reporter and social media influencer Caolan Robertson has been awarded an Order of Merit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky
https://t.co/s7fm2zygKg

[Tony Connelly @tconnellyRTE]

Summit a big moment for Montenegro's EU ambitions via @RTENews https://t.co/NYejI0rqLv

[Conor Hogarty @ConorHogarty]

Ireland does not want to have any ‘hand’ in supplying weapons damaging Ukraine, says Taoiseach.

https://t.co/dRbW8NXSnF

[Conor Gallagher @ConorGallaghe_r]

Rusal, the company that owns the Aughinish Alumina, continues to be controlled by sanctioned Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, according to a confidential report by Swedish tax authorities.

https://t.co/TaEVXlG5Dz

[UKR Embassy to Ireland @UKRinIRL]

The Embassy of Ukraine to Ireland expresses its serious concern regarding the continued export of alumina from Ireland to the Russian Federation.

According to a trade data, this troubling trade flow has increased significantly, with exports rising from €196 million in 2021 to €318 million in 2025, positioning the Russian Federation as the largest destination for Irish alumina exports and surpassing traditional European partners. This represents the highest level of exports to Russia since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

These figures raise serious concerns, as alumina remains a critical raw material for the production of aluminium, which is extensively used by Russia’s military-industrial complex. Aluminium is used in the manufacture of a wide range of Russian military systems, including Iskander-M ballistic missiles, Tsirkon hypersonic missiles, Kh-101 and Kalibr cruise missiles, as well as Shahed-136/Geran-2 attacks unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

The devastating consequences of Russia’s military production continue to be felt daily by the people of Ukraine. Over the past week alone, the Russian Federation has launched more than 2,900 attack drones, nearly 1,560 guided aerial bombs, and more than 150 missiles of various types against Ukrainian cities and communities. Every activity may contribute to sustaining Russia’s industrial and military capacity warrants careful examination.

The Embassy takes note of the ongoing investigation being conducted by the relevant Irish authorities and welcomes the Irish Government’s commitment to establishing all relevant facts. We look forward to the timely conclusion of this process and to any measures deemed necessary on the basis of its findings.

Ukraine fully recognises the importance of protecting jobs, communities, and industrial competitiveness in Ireland and across the European Union. At the same time, Russia’s continued war of aggression requires constant vigilance to ensure that commercial activities do not directly or indirectly contribute to sustaining the military capabilities of a state engaged in a brutal and unprovoked war against a sovereign European nation.

Ukraine highly values its strong partnership with Ireland and deeply appreciates the steadfast support and solidarity demonstrated by the Irish Government and the Irish people since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion. We count on Ireland’s continued leadership in supporting Ukraine, strengthening the effectiveness of international sanctions, and ensuring that European resources, technologies, and supply chains cannot be exploited to sustain Russia’s war machine.

The Embassy of Ukraine remains committed to constructive engagement with Irish partners on this important issue in the shared interests of European security, international law, and accountability.

[Conor Gallagher @ConorGallaghe_r]

Aughinish and Minister for Enterprise Peter Burke said this morning the official data is not correct and that Aughinish gave the wrong export figures to the CSO. They say real export figure to Russia was 45 percent

[Sergiy Kyslytsya 🇺🇦 @SergiyKyslytsya]

Had a substantive meeting with Ambassador of Ireland to Ukraine @JonathanConlon togetherwith Deputy Head of the Office of the President @IrynaRMudra.

We discussed bilateral cooperation, economic ties, Ukraine’s EU accession process and Ireland’s upcoming Presidency of the Council of the EU inthe second half of 2026.

Particular attention was paid to the situation surrounding recent reports in the Irish media regarding the export of alumina to Russia in the context of the ongoing aggression.

Ukraine counts on continued cooperation with Ireland in advancing our European integration and strengthening a secure, resilient and prosperous Europe.

[Barry Andrews MEP @BarryAndrewsMEP]

➡️ While neither the company Aughinish Alumina, nor the sale of alumina to Russia, is currently sanctioned, if this data is correct, both the Irish govt 🇮🇪 and @EU_Commission 🇪🇺 must rapidly and fully investigate.

We need clarity on how much alumina is reaching, or likely reaching, the Russian military, how dependent they are on this supply and how the company could diversify as soon as possible.

EU sanctions must cause more negative impact on the Russian economy than our own.

But all of us who strongly support Ukraine 🇺🇦 must examine every way possible to undermine Putin’s criminal war machine.

[Ruth Deyermond @ruth_deyermond]

Very late to this, but extraordinary stuff. So Aughinish Alumina is, say its Russian owners, producing material that's definitely not for the Russian war but also somehow important enough to trigger one of the classic Russian coercive instruments: the weaponisation of energy.

[Sergiy Kyslytsya 🇺🇦 @SergiyKyslytsya]

As Ireland 🇮🇪 is about to assume @EUCouncil presidency as of July 1 this year more than 80 per cent of Irish-made alumina went to Russia in the first quarter of this year, by far the highest amount since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Figures obtained by The @IrishTimes show that for the first three months of this year, 83 per cent of all alumina exports from the Republic – 200,619 tonnes – went to Russia. In March, an Irish Times investigation, carried out in co-operation with the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project and published, found that Aughinish’s Co Limerick plant is shipping vast amounts of alumina to smelters in Russia, where it is used to make aluminium, which is then sold to a trading company, ASK, that supplies dozens of Russian arms manufacturers.
@kmathernova @kajakallas @eucopresident @vonderleyen

https://t.co/NGGBkU3X6l

[Tony Connelly @tconnellyRTE]

https://t.co/fVcv9S7GBL

[Tony Connelly @tconnellyRTE]

Collateral damage: Aughinish Alumina and EU sanctions https://t.co/CiAQyYwAa9

[Tony Connelly @tconnellyRTE]

How Aughinish Alumina found itself in the eye of the storm over alleged links to Russia’s war machine, and how it dodged sanctions - for now

Link below 👇

[Tony Connelly @tconnellyRTE]

Aughinish Alumina warns sanctions would impact power grid https://t.co/AcpgkoctRA via @rte

[RTÉ News @rtenews]

The European Commission has decided not to propose sanctions at this time on Aughinish Alumina, the Shannon-based plant owned by a Russian company, which has been accused of exporting alumina that has ended up in Russian weapons and armaments used against civilian targets in Ukraine https://t.co/lYompshJOi

[Tony Connelly @tconnellyRTE]

Why are Ireland's electricity prices the EU's highest? via @RTENews https://t.co/QXIaMZtbo4

[The Kyiv Independent @KyivIndependent]

⚡️ Russian attacks kill 5, injure 52 across Ukraine as Dnipro drone strike leaves dozens wounded.

Moscow launched 124 drones across Ukraine, 115 of which were intercepted by Ukrainian air defenses, according to the Air Force.
https://t.co/wbBdZ00hQl