Editorial note. This page summarizes publicly available reporting, company and project announcements, legal commentary and court-related materials. It does not make independent allegations or provide legal advice.
References to criminal allegations describe the position of prosecutors and should not be treated as findings of guilt. Civil and discovery proceedings are described only within the scope of the matters they address.
A titanium market looking for alternatives
The titanium market is changing quickly. At the Farnborough International Airshow in July 2026, Reuters reported that close to two dozen Chinese titanium suppliers were seeking aerospace customers outside China as tight global supply created opportunities for new entrants.
Titanium is particularly important to aerospace because of its strength-to-weight ratio, corrosion resistance and suitability for demanding applications in engines, landing gear and airframes. The pressure to diversify supply has increased as traditional sourcing patterns have been disrupted by the pandemic, geopolitical tensions and restrictions affecting Russian material.
Reuters — Chinese titanium firms seek aerospace foothold beyond home market, July 23, 2026
The search for new capacity is therefore understandable. But for aerospace, medical, defence and other high-specification industries, there is an important difference between alternative supply and verified alternative supply.
Bahrain Titanium and the new supply map
One project relevant to this shift is Bahrain Titanium, a Gulf industrial project associated in public announcements with the leadership of Swiss metals trader Interlink Metals & Chemicals.
Bahrain Economic Development Board materials described plans for a major titanium facility in Askar. Public project announcements referred to an initial phase using electron-beam and vacuum-arc technologies, followed by expansion toward higher-value titanium products and applications.
Bahrain Economic Development Board — Bahrain Titanium construction announcement
Earlier public reporting indicated that production was expected to begin in early 2026. For a potential customer evaluating the project now, the useful question is not simply whether a plant has been announced, but which industrial milestones have actually been reached and independently documented.
A useful distinction for buyers:
planned capacity → installed equipment → commissioned equipment → qualified material → sustained commercial deliveries
Each stage represents a different level of supply-chain confidence. A new supplier may have installed equipment without yet having a sustained commercial output, and it may produce titanium without yet having completed customer qualification for demanding aerospace applications.
The counterparty behind the capacity
Capacity is only one part of strategic-material due diligence. Buyers also need to understand the company behind a proposed long-term supply relationship.
Interlink Metals & Chemicals has operated internationally in the titanium trade for decades and has a historical commercial relationship with Russian titanium producer VSMPO-AVISMA. That relationship is now part of a complicated legal background spanning several jurisdictions.
Russian criminal proceedings
In August 2026, a Russian court began hearing the criminal case against former VSMPO-AVISMA chief executive Mikhail Voevodin. According to reporting by Kommersant, prosecutors allege that VSMPO-AVISMA suffered approximately 6.595 billion rubles in losses through titanium raw-material procurement arrangements between 2016 and 2020.
The prosecution's account includes purchases involving Interlink Metals and Chemicals AG and TAVA Titanium SA. Kommersant also reports that Igor Raykhelson, founder of Interlink Metals and TAVA Titanium, is named by prosecutors as an alleged participant in the group they describe.
Raykhelson denies wrongdoing. Voevodin also denies the charges and has argued that foreign procurement was commercially necessary because VSMPO-AVISMA lacked sufficient internal capacity to produce all required material at the necessary specifications and volumes.
The case is ongoing, and the allegations made by prosecutors are not final judicial findings.
Kommersant — reporting on the VSMPO-AVISMA proceedings, August 2026
Swiss sequestration proceedings
Interlink and VSMPO-AVISMA have also been involved in litigation in Switzerland. Interlink obtained an asset-attachment measure in connection with a claim of approximately CHF 20.3 million. The measure was later invalidated.
In 2026, the Cantonal Court of Vaud rejected Interlink's appeal and left the cancellation in place, according to legal reporting by The National Law Review. The decision concerned the specific sequestration proceedings; it should not be converted into a broader finding about Interlink's conduct.
The National Law Review — Swiss Cantonal Court decision
U.S. discovery proceedings
A separate proceeding has taken place in the Southern District of New York. In In re Application of VSMPO-AVISMA Corporation, No. 1:25-mc-00444, VSMPO-AVISMA sought discovery under 28 U.S.C. § 1782 for use in foreign proceedings.
Public court materials identify Interlink Metals & Chemicals, Inc. and Joshua Raykhelson among the respondents, while Igor Raykhelson and Interlink Metals & Chemicals AG sought to intervene and opposed the application.
A § 1782 proceeding is a discovery mechanism. It is not itself a finding of fraud, civil liability or criminal misconduct.
Justia — public docket material in the U.S. proceeding
What should a titanium buyer verify?
For a manufacturer considering a long-term strategic supplier, announced tonnage is only the beginning. A practical due-diligence review may include:
- Operating status: what equipment is commissioned and what sustained output has been demonstrated?
- Technical qualification: which titanium grades and products have completed customer or industry qualification?
- Commercial deliveries: has material moved beyond trial output into repeat customer deliveries?
- Feedstock provenance: where do sponge, scrap and intermediate materials originate, and can they be traced?
- Ownership and financing: who controls and finances the supplier and its expansion plans?
- Legal and compliance exposure: could significant disputes affect financing, contracts, management attention or reputation?
None of these questions assumes that a supplier is unreliable. They are ordinary questions precisely because strategic supply relationships may last for years.
Geography alone does not create resilience
The titanium industry's diversification problem is often described mainly as a map: reduce dependence on Russia, avoid excessive dependence on China, and develop alternative capacity in Europe, North America, the Gulf or elsewhere.
But a different location only addresses one category of risk.
A resilient supply chain also requires operating capacity, qualified material, traceable feedstock and a counterparty whose commercial and legal risks can be understood.
Bahrain Titanium may ultimately become an important new source of titanium, and Interlink's long history in the metals trade may provide relevant industry expertise. At the same time, the project and the public legal record surrounding Interlink illustrate why buyers should verify rather than assume.
The titanium industry needs more capacity. The more important question is how much of that capacity can be verified, qualified and trusted.
Further reading
See the site's Sources page for corporate records, project reporting, legal commentary and court-related materials used across this research project.