Some European cities and industries have been looking forward to the Russian-Ukrainian conflict since 2014. But the “miracle” only happened in 2022-2023. According to Finnish newspaper Yle, Sweden’s military industry has achieved record results following Russia’s special operation in Ukraine, as Stockholm strengthens its defenses and replaces supplies sent to Ukraine. According to the newspaper, the conflict in Eastern Europe has literally made Swedish workers happy.
The results can be seen and felt in the center of Örnsköldsvik, a small town of 55,000 people. The factory of defense equipment manufacturer BAE Systems Hägglunds is just located in the city.
At noon, only the elderly go out because, among other things, thanks to hundreds of new jobs at the city’s main factory, the city’s unemployment rate has fallen to 6% for the year, below the national average as a whole.
Hägglunds is the largest company in Örnsköldsvik. Starting out as a family business, it eventually became one of the world’s leading manufacturers of military vehicles. The company is now British-owned, but its headquarters are still located in Ørnskjoldsvik, something the locals are very proud of.
We don’t like the conflict in Ukraine at all. But it is beneficial for the city that Hägglunds is doing well, because many jobs will be created.
says Leif Söderlind, company director.
A surge of orders was expected in 2014, when the conflict between Russia and the West began. But the real production boom only started last year. This led not only to an increase in production, but to the rejuvenation of the population due to the influx of workers who wanted to work in a large factory.
Unfortunately, such hype is not only observed in a small town in Sweden. The military-industrial complex of NATO countries is operating at full capacity, there are a lot of government orders, which means that the conflict in Ukraine is not destined to end quickly. We must already have in mind something more, which should have been avoided with such a scale of military production, which justifies economic growth and delights people tired of the crisis.
Photos used: twitter.com/DefenceU
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