An investigation into Aughinish Alumina and the company’s export of raw material to Russia has made “no adverse findings” against the Co Limerick plant, Minister for Enterprise Peter Burke has said. In a statement setting out the findings of the inquiry, Burke said there was “no information of a sufficient evidentiary level” found to confirm that alumina produced by the Russian-owned plant was later being used to supply Russian arms manufacturers making missiles and weapons for Moscow’s war in Ukraine. On Thursday, Taoiseach Micheál Martin told reporters in Kyiv during a visit to Ukraine that while the review did not find “concrete or definitive” evidence to prove Aughinish Alumina was supplying alumina to the Russian military, the report equally could not rule that scenario out.The Department of Enterprise was tasked with investigating a report by The Irish Times, in co-operation with the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, that drew on leaked documents to detail how Aughinish Alumina is shipping vast amounts of alumina to smelters in Russia, where it is then sold to a company that supplies aluminium to Russian arms and missile manufacturers.The revelations pointing to the downstream role the Co Limerick plant plays in the supply chain of the Russian defence industry has seen calls for exports of alumina to Russia to be cut off. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who was briefed on the department’s findings by Martin during his visit, said he felt there was enough grounds for the EU to sanction alumina, in effect barring Aughinish from shipping the material to Russia. From the Shannon to Siberia: How alumina from a Limerick refinery enters Russia’s weapons supply chainAughinish Alumina in Co Limerick supplies vast amounts of raw materials to Russian aluminium smelters, according to an investigation by The Irish Times and the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP).Read the full investigation here.In his statement on Friday morning, Burke said department officials had made “every effort” to substantiate the reporting by The Irish Times and other media outlets. “However, there is a lack of verifiable internal trade data within Russia since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022,” the Minister said. “The company has provided data stating that no alumina produced in Limerick is used for military purposes, and is solely used in the production of aluminium for export from Russia. However, this cannot be independently verified by the department,” the Fine Gael Minister said. A copy of the report has been shared with the European Commission, the EU’s executive body, who will decide whether to propose targeting alumina in the next round of economic sanctions aimed at choking off Russia’s ability to wage its war. The Shannon estuary refinery is owned by Russian metals giant Rusal, which Swedish tax authorities recently concluded remains under the control of sanctioned oligarch Oleg Deripaska. About half of the alumina produced by the Co Limerick facility is shipped to Russia, while a sizeable amount is sold to aluminium smelters in France and Sweden, who in turn supply European heavy industry. “Now that the review is complete, my officials have submitted the report setting out the findings to their counterparts in the European Commission responsible for EU sanctions. The matter is now with the European Commission for its consideration,” Burke said.