Due to a fuel shortage: Mass layoffs have begun in Crimea
28 June 18:12
The fuel crisis in Crimea has begun to take a toll on the local job market: residents of the peninsula are reporting layoffs and being sent on unpaid leave. Such comments appeared under posts by Sergey Aksyonov, the Russian-appointed “head” of the peninsula, according to "Komersant Ukrainian", citing Russian propaganda media.
According to Crimeans, employers are delaying payroll and asking employees to submit letters of resignation of their own accord. For their part, local business owners report forced downtime and a lack of funds to meet their obligations to employees and the tax authorities.
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“Drivers at the SK ‘GRAD’ company are having their May and June wages withheld. What are people supposed to do now, forced to take unpaid leave and going two months without receiving their rightful pay?” wrote a Simferopol resident.
Her fellow Simferopol resident asked Aksyonov, “What about taxes? My husband used to work in transportation, but now the truck is sitting idle, and there’s no income.”
A resident of Kerch said that she and other employees were asked to submit resignation letters. “How are people supposed to survive under these circumstances? Businesses are closing down,” she asked.
Residents of these and other cities, including Yalta and Yevpatoria, posted similar messages. They write about layoffs, a sharp drop in income, business closures, and the inability to pay mortgages and loans, and they also ask the authorities to introduce tax relief for businesses.
Self-employed individuals who repair and service cars reported that due to the fuel shortage, they have almost no customers left.
“Work has practically come to a standstill… We would hate to have to close down or declare bankruptcy because we lack the funds to pay taxes and salaries,” reads one of the appeals.
It’s not just social media users who are reporting employment problems. This week, employees of the Crimean “TES” gas station chain recorded a video appeal to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, stating that about 2,500 people are at risk of being laid off.
On June 26, a state of emergency was declared in Crimea and Sevastopol. Aksyonov stated that this is necessary to promptly address issues related to ensuring the population’s basic needs. The state of emergency will remain in effect until the situation improves. While it is in effect, the authorities have the right to restrict citizens’ movement, suspend business operations, and carry out forced evacuations.
Prior to this, Ukrainian authorities announced the “isolation” of Crimea from Russia and began targeting its logistics infrastructure (strategic bridges, the Kerch ferry crossing, the R-280 highway “Novorossiya”), as well as military and energy facilities on the peninsula.
Against this backdrop, Crimea also experienced problems with electricity and water. In addition, local residents began reporting disruptions in food supplies and restrictions on food sales. In particular, some supermarkets are limiting customers to no more than three bottles of cooking oil and three packages of pasta per person. On local Telegram channels, people complained that sugar, buckwheat, rice, flour, and salt had disappeared from stores.
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