Controversies
The refinery is associated with severe environmental problems affecting the local area. Various strikes have been held in the city against the refinery due to its excessive smoke emissions.
Founder of Rusal and partial owner Oleg Deripaska has been sanctioned by various countries due to their ties to the Russian government and supplying materials used by the Russian military. In 2018 the KUBAL was threatened with sanctions and Deripaska was forced to reduce its ownership of the refinery. Since 2024 the Swedish Centre Party has called for the nationalization of the refinery.
On March 26, 2026, two KUBAL executives were arrested over breaching sanctions.