Rusal's Double Bottom: How Deripaska's Irish Plant Feeds the Russian Defense Industry with Raw Materials for Missiles and Tanks
Oleg Deripaska has been linked to two scenarios of supporting the conflict in Ukraine.
During the conflict, the Irish alumina producer Aughinish, which belongs to his Rusal, doubled its supplies of raw materials to Russia.
Alumina is needed to smelt aluminum, which is used in the Kh-101 and Iskander-M missiles and in tank engines. Sanctions do not restrict the import of such products into Russia.
Russian defense companies receive raw materials through ASK, a company not officially affiliated with Rusal, but employing more than 20 former Rusal employees, and the addresses of Rusal and ASK branches in several regions are the same.
The same ASK sponsors the “Care of Siberia” foundation, which pays bounties for captured or damaged equipment. The Ministry of Defense described the foundation as a “union of entrepreneurs” raising personal funds “for the purpose of providing additional incentives to military personnel.”
The foundation's director, Evgeny Kobelov, worked for companies associated with Deripaska. In 2024, “Care for Siberia” raised over 800 million rubles, at least 90 million of which came from ASK. Only half of this amount went to charity.
