15 Strikes in 15 Days: Russia’s Power System Lost Up to 4% of Generation

Between mid-October and November 1, 2025, Ukraine carried out at least 15 strikes on Russian energy facilities. The main targets were high-voltage substations and thermal power plants.

According to the DroneBomber OSINT resource, 1.5-2 GW of generating capacity was disabled or damaged, which is about 3-4% of the total electricity production in Russia.

The most critical facility was the 750 kV Vladimirskaya substation, which was hit twice. It is a key hub between Siberia and Moscow. Fires on switching equipment caused the disconnection of up to 30,000 consumers in the Vladimir region and a 10% drop in voltage in Moscow.

In the Nizhny Novgorod region, transformers at the 500 kV Arzamasskaya substation were destroyed. This left 50,000 consumers without electricity, and the production of ammunition at local factories dropped by 25%.

In the Voronezh region, a fire broke out at the Veshkaima 500 kV substation on autotransformers. As a result, 15,000 villagers were left without electricity, and mobile networks in the region collapsed by 40%.

The Balashovskaya 500 kV substation was attacked twice in the Saratov region. More than 100 thousand households were disconnected, and a 15% drop in voltage was recorded. The Saratov oil refinery was partially shut down.

In the Bryansk region, the 110 kV Trubchevsk substation was hit. Up to 15,000 residents lost power, hospitals were disrupted, and 200 people were evacuated. The 750 kV Novobryanskaya substation was also damaged, resulting in the loss of 500 MW of power and a 15% reduction in electricity exports to Belarus.

The 220 kV Alchevsk substation was damaged in the occupied territory of Donbas. The strike caused localized blackouts and a 50% reduction in water supply.

In the Kursk region, 20,000 people were left without electricity due to the damage to the 110 kV Zheleznogorsk substation. Hospitals were evacuated in the region. The Rylsk substation was also damaged, leaving several villages without electricity and heat.

In the Rostov region, the 110 kV Novaya Tavolzhanka substation was attacked. The fire damaged adjacent lines, leaving 10,000 consumers without electricity. Local airfields are experiencing power shortages.

The strike on the (CHP) plant in the city of Klintsy led to the shutdown of the boiler unit. 300,000 residents were left without heat and hot water, and energy losses amounted to 200 MW. And Oryol suffered two hits to its thermal power plant. More than 100,000 consumers were left without electricity and heat for 12-18 hours. Total losses exceeded 1 GW, and the airport was temporarily closed.

In total, the attacks caused emergency blackouts in at least seven regions, grid overload and reduced system stability.