A massive reduction in the number of energy industry professionals has been recorded in the temporarily occupied Donetsk Region. We are talking about more than a thousand electricians who maintained substations and energy infrastructure and were transferred in May 2025 from the RE "REC" (Republican Enterprise "Regional Energy Supply Company") to the newly created Southwest Electric Grid Company. In December, they were informed of a complete staff reduction that will take place on March 1, 2026. The Center of National Resistance (CNR) has reported this.
According to the National Resistance Center sources, the decision was made in the format of an internal "vote" of the management and provides for the abandonment of the constant presence of personnel at substations. Instead, a service model is being introduced exclusively by field crews. In the context of worn-out equipment, regular accidents, and damaged power lines, this will lead to a sharp increase in the risk of long-term outages in the TOT.
"Of particular concern is the staff of the laid-off people, most of whom are specialists with many years of experience, mostly middle-aged and pre-retirement women. For them, dismissal in the frontline region without alternative work or retraining programs means the actual loss of livelihood," the Center emphasizes.
Analysts note that such decisions directly affect the sustainability of the region's critical infrastructure. The lack of operational staff at substations makes it impossible to respond quickly to accidents, even when it comes to critical infrastructure. With this decision, the occupation authorities are actually recognizing that uninterrupted power supply is no longer a priority.
According to the National Resistance Center, such dismissals are not accidental, and are part of the overall management policy in the TOT.
"The occupation authorities are trying to cut costs at the expense of basic life support, perceiving critical infrastructure not as a guarantee of security, but as an expense item that is being reduced without taking into account the consequences," the National Resistance Center emphasizes.
As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, according to the National Resistance Center, recently, workers of the mines in the settlement of Sorokyne (Krasnodon) temporarily occupied by the russian aggressor country recorded an appeal to russian dictator vladimir putin with a request to stop the closure of the mines, production cuts and non-payment of wages.
Who we are: About us, Contacts. How we write news and our principles: Editorial code. We did our best. If you found this valuable – please support us.
To request a correction, please send an email.