Luhansk coal mines are facing a shutdown as a military call-up forced by Russian occupational forces leaves most of them critically understaffed.

In his Tuesday update on the situation in the region, local governor Serhiy Gaidai said Ukrainian defenders repelled 10 Russian offensives launched in border-line communities of Luhansk and Donetsk- the enemy is trying to tie Ukraine’s army down in this area.

Russia used aircraft assaults, and later came back with two tank attacks backed up by mortar shelling of Ukraine-controlled communities.

Meanwhile, local coal mines in Russian-controlled territories  are edging closer to a shutdown.

‘Sorokyne, Rovenki, Dovzhansk. Almost all of those who could be sent to the front line from those communities, were mobilized at the start of  the invasion,’ wrote Gaidai, adding that every mobilization notice sent is a ‘step closer’ to a complete shutdown of the mining operations.

‘Everybody knows that one won’t return from the front line, it makes you master new specialties, work part-time elsewhere, have extra shifts of work,’ added the governor.

The staffing issues at coal mines are piling up –  it makes occupational officials look for workforce in the neighboring regions of Russia.