Orders Decline at Russia’s Uralvagonzavod Tank Factory, Forcing Major Job Cuts

The flagship of Russia’s defense industrial complex, tank manufacturing giant “Uralvagonzavod” (UVZ), has announced a large-scale personnel reduction.

According to the Russian outlet E1 on November 6, the enterprise plans to cut roughly 10% of its workforce and completely halt new hiring by February 2026. However, information obtained from UVZ staff suggests the actual scale of the “optimization” could be much deeper: some divisions may lose up to 50% of their established headcount.

“According to our information, the reduction for most divisions is up to 50% of their established headcount. As a result, able-bodied, highly qualified specialists are losing their jobs,” UVZ employees reported to E1.

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It remains unclear exactly which divisions will be hit, but speculation centers on the civilian sector.

According to Militarnyi on November 6, this decision at a strategically vital defense enterprise likely points to a severe shortage of state funding or a reduction in military orders, making it unsustainable to retain the current staff.

Earlier, it was reported that since September North Korea has transferred an estimated total of 6,000 military personnel to the Russian Federation, comprising approximately 5,000 construction troops and 1,000 engineers.

This move is attributed to Pyongyang's extended support for Russian military operations, with the reported contingent potentially assigned to tasks involving infrastructure reconstruction and demining activities in the regions adjacent to the Ukrainian border.

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