Kubal is owned by the Russian group Rusal, but in 2018, at the latest sanctions, it was the major owner of Rusal, the oligarch Oleg Deripaska, who was the target of the sanctions.

Deripeska is a wealthy businessman who is said to be closely linked to President Putin. 

Now it's about big politics and the question is whether the sanctions will be tougher and broader this time.

"Mother of all sanctions"

The crisis is affecting Ukraine, and should Russia embark on some form of invasion, the United States is threatening extensive measures;

"The mother of all sanctions", it has been said.



But how will Kubal be affected in Sundsvall if the sanctions become a reality?

This is a question that has not yet been answered.



From the head office in Russia, they are brief in their comment: "All references to sanctions are purely based on speculation and as such we can not comment on them" it says in an email to SVT Västernorrland-

The situation is also a concern for the municipality of Sundsvall.

Kubal is a large workplace in the municipality with 450 employees and has been in Sundsvall since the 1940s.

Ready to act

- We follow the development closely, says Bodil Hansson (S), municipal councilor

Bodil Hansson, chairman of the municipal board in Sundsvall, tells SVT that the municipality follows developments closely.



- We are prepared to act, and we have ongoing contacts with the company management and the union at Kubal, she says.



At the same time, Bodil Hansson adds that IF sanctions were to become a reality, it would be a matter for the government.

Otherwise, she does not want to comment on the situation, but believes that the questions must be answered by Kubal.

Russian ... or British?

A decisive factor may be how Russian Kubal's owner Rusal really is.

En + Group now owns the largest share in Rusal, a


British-Russian giant company with around 100,000 employees worldwide.



Following the sanctions four years ago, the major owner Deripaska was forced to leave the board and reduce its ownership in the company.

Sweden's only aluminum smelter is located at the southern entrance to Sundsvall.

It was very close to being forced to close down the plant in connection with the sanctions in 2018. Now similar measures can again threaten production

En + Group is the world's largest aluminum producer in the world - outside China. 



Listen to Mats Andersson, production manager and board member of Kubal in the clip.