Every month 14 ships leave a quiet port on the west coast of Ireland, carrying alumina towards St Petersburg. Alumina is a fine white powder. Once smelted, it becomes aluminium, a metal essential to modern industry and also to military production, including aircraft, armoured vehicles, missiles and other weapons systems. I began investigating this supply chain after reading a report in The Irish Times earlier this year. I contacted the refinery with questions, but my calls and emails went unanswered.