Two regions Russia uses to launch attacks on Ukraine are left without power. After a strike on 6 October, Belgorod Oblast is experiencing massive power outages, leaving 24 settlements without electricity. In Bryansk Oblast, a thermal power plant (TPP) was hit twice in one day, sparking a fire, according to local Telegram channels and Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov.
Bryansk Oblast borders Ukraine’s Chernihiv and Sumy oblasts, which are under near-constant shelling. Belgorod Oblast borders Ukraine’s Sumy, Kharkiv, and Luhansk oblasts, with a border length of approximately 540 km.
Strike on critical Russian infrastructure
A TPP was targeted in Klintsy, Bryansk Oblast. Video footage shows a fire at the station, and locals report power outages. The strike reportedly hit the Klintsy TPP open distribution unit, which supplies electricity to Klintsy and the surrounding areas. The station operates with 110 kV transformers.
Power and water outages
After a series of explosions, electricity and water were cut off in the southern and central parts of Belgorod. As per the BelPepel Telegram channel, a fire broke out at the Luch substation. Governor Gladkov confirmed the damage to the energy infrastructure and convened an emergency government meeting.
Scale of attacks and casualties
According to Gladkov, in the Grayvoron municipal district, 31 munitions were fired across 10 strikes, along with 22 drone attacks.
In other areas of Russia, nearly 40 drones were deployed.
“In Belgorod, six munitions were fired during the missile strike, and 37 drones were used, 31 of which were shot down or neutralized,” said the governor.
In the Belgorod district, a 15-year-old boy was injured, and two Russians were wounded by drone strikes on trucks in the villages of Zhovtnevyi and Chervonyi Zhovten.
Currently, 24 settlements, including Belgorod city, Belgorod district, Valuyky and Volokonovka districts, and Grayvoron and Shebekino areas, remain without power, affecting 5,400 residents. Previously, Gladkov reported significant damage to electricity infrastructure in seven municipal formations, leaving nearly 40,000 people without power.
Recovery efforts
Emergency crews are working to restore electricity and water to residential buildings, social facilities, and businesses. As the governor noted, “the volume of work will be substantial.”
Earlier, the Economist wrote that Ukraine shifted from purely defensive operations to conducting deep strikes inside Russian territory, targeting the economic foundations of Russia's war effort.
While Russia's strategic air campaign is primarily focused on terrorizing cities, Ukraine's strikes are aimed directly at Russia's ability to sustain the war.
For instance, at the end of September, Ukraine's Armed Forces General Staff confirmed a missile strike on Russia's Elektrodetal plant in Karachev, Bryansk Oblast, which manufactures products for military purposes.
Rocket troops and artillery units carried out the operation in cooperation with other Defense Forces components. Four weapons with a flight range of over 240 kilometers were launched at JSC Karachev Elektrodetal Plant.
Zelenskyy's explanation
Commenting on the blackouts in Belgorod, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that ordinary Russians need to experience discomfort from the war against Ukraine in order to start questioning their authorities, UNIAN reports.
"Ukraine does not kill civilians, we do not hunt the enemy’s civilian population—absolutely not. But they must understand the price of this," he emphasized, adding that Ukraine would gladly have peace, but the Russians do not want it—for now.
