Ukraine imposed sanctions on five companies within the Rusal group and nine Russian nationals associated with them. Among the sanctioned entities are the Bratsk, Sayanogorsk and Krasnoyarsk aluminium smelters, which imported more than $2.5 billion worth of alumina, making them the largest importers of this raw material between April 2024 and March 2025, according to a study by the Economic Security Council of Ukraine (ESCU).
Overall, Rusal accounted for 93% of Russia’s alumina imports. Alumina is used to produce aluminium and alloys for weapons manufacturing.
ESCU analysts also found that products from Rusal companies were supplied to firms working for Russia’s military-industrial complex or supplying its manufacturers. Aluminium and aluminium-based alloys are used in military aviation, missile production, armoured vehicles and cable products, as well as in the manufacture of certain components for explosives and solid rocket propellants.
“Russia’s military-industrial complex depends not only on the companies that assemble missiles, aircraft or armoured vehicles. Behind them are supply chains of critical raw materials without which this production would be impossible,” said Olena Yurchenko, Director of Analytics, Research and Investigations at the Economic Security Council of Ukraine (ESCU).
What other critical supply chains supporting Russia’s military-industrial complex remain outside sanctions? Read the ESCU report “Salt of the Earth”: https://escu.ua/reports/salt-of-the-earth-ESCU
