IRELAND'S exports to Russia have surged to their highest levels since 2015.
This is despite the ongoing war in Ukraine.
According to the Central Statistics Office (CSO), Irish goods exported to Russia reached nearly €398 million in the first five months of 2025, surpassing figures recorded at any time since the CSO began tracking such data a decade ago.
This rise in trade has drawn strong criticism from the Ukrainian Embassy in Dublin, which called the continued export activity “indefensible.”
In a statement, the embassy said there is no “moral, political, or economic justification” for maintaining commercial ties with a country engaged in what it described as a “brutal and illegal war of aggression.”
“Every euro and every product sent to Russia strengthens its capacity to kill, destroy, and destabilise not only Ukraine but the entire European continent,” the embassy said.
“It is indefensible to supply money and goods to a regime that openly defies the rules-based international order.”
The growth in exports has been driven mainly by medicinal and pharmaceutical products, valued at about €113 million.
These goods are exempt from international sanctions due to their humanitarian value.
Exports of metalliferous ores and metal scrap rose to €183.4 million.
Additionally, exports of essential oils, perfume materials and toilet preparations nearly doubled year-on-year to more than €60 million.
The Ukrainian Embassy warned that continuing “business as usual” in sensitive sectors undermines the credibility of the international sanctions regime and weakens the unified response against Russian aggression.
This comes at a time when the EU, Britain and the US are trying to close loopholes in their sanctions framework.
While Ireland has publicly supported Ukraine through humanitarian aid and political backing, the CSO data suggests a growing disconnect between official policy and actual economic engagement.
See More: CSO, Irish Exports, Russia, Russia-Ukraine War
