Electrician from Kholmy Division Describes Working Under Threat of Shaheds and Drones

19-year-old Nikita Sotnyk from the Koriukivka REM shares his experience restoring power lines under constant danger — from severe weather to enemy UAVs.

Source: @chernigivoblenergo

At Chernihivoblenerho JSC, 19-year-old electrician Nikita Sotnyk from the Kholmy division of the Koriukivka District Electricity Network has been on the job for only two years, yet he has already found himself in dangerous situations more than once. According to Sotnyk, his crew's main tasks are clearing power line corridors and carrying out emergency repairs to restore electricity supply. Outages occur frequently: in addition to damage caused by bad weather and fallen trees, enemy Shahed drones pose a serious additional threat. On one occasion, while the crew was clearing a line in the village of Khotiyivka, a drone flew directly toward them and began to descend — the workers had to run for cover. Sotnyk admits he came to the energy sector after training as a tractor operator and gaining construction experience in Chernihiv, before returning to his hometown of Kholmy.