Power outages in occupied territories: Ukraine strikes back!

Power outages in occupied territories: Ukraine strikes back!

There are again massive problems with the electricity supply in the Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine. After Ukrainian drone strikes targeted energy infrastructure, local media and military observers reported severe power outages, particularly in the Luhansk People's Republic and the northern part of Zaporizhzhia Oblast. These attacks are part of Ukraine's ongoing resistance to the Russian invasion, which has now lasted over three and a half years. According to Schwarzwälder Bote, the outages can be traced back to direct hits at a substation in Alchevsk.

But there were also outages in occupied Zaporizhzhia, as the Moscow-appointed governor Yevgeny Balizki reported. He explained that initially the northern part of the region was without electricity, but an hour later the power supply was fully restored. Such interruptions are anything but rare in Ukraine; They must be seen in a continuous context with Russian attacks on the energy infrastructure, which occur regularly and thus cause great uncertainty.

Background to the attacks

The attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities are not just sporadic; They are part of a targeted war strategy by Russia aimed at destabilizing civilian energy supplies. According to Tagesschau, around 8,000 megawatts of electricity capacity have already been destroyed in the last two years, leading to widespread power outages. These attacks are now also having an impact on energy prices: from November 1, 2025, citizens in Ukraine will have to pay around ten cents per kilowatt hour. In addition, a recent attack that spanned several regions left at least 20 people injured, including civilians.

State energy grid operator Urkenergo described the latest attacks as the sixth wave since March against the country's energy supply. The Russians used Tu-95 strategic bombers that were launched from the Saratov region or over the Caspian Sea. It remains to be seen how Ukraine will respond to these continued attacks, which take on not only military but also economic dimensions.

Ukrainian defense has long since been limited to its borders. The attacks on Russian oil refineries and, increasingly, on substations on Russian territory also show that the resistance is not just limited to defense, but also takes proactive measures. Kiev is trying to weaken Russian resources with targeted attacks, which seems to make strategic sense given the military situation.