Ukrainian Forces Strike Russian Power Facilities, Disrupting Services in Border Cities

Strikes Reported in Russian Border Regions

Ukrainian forces have reportedly conducted strikes against Russian power facilities, leading to disruptions in several border cities. A November 9th edition of Futura Doctrina highlighted the reciprocal nature of these attacks, noting that 'Ukraine and Russia are pounding away at each other's power generation and distribution system as another northern hemisphere winter approaches.'

On Sunday, November 9, 2025, local Russian officials reported that nighttime Ukrainian strikes disrupted power and heating in two major cities near the Ukrainian border: Voronezh and Belgorod.

• In Voronezh, a drone strike temporarily caused blackouts and cut heating to parts of the city, home to over 1 million people. Regional Governor Alexander Gusev stated that several drones were electronically jammed, sparking a fire at a local utility facility that was quickly extinguished.
• In Belgorod, a missile strike late on Saturday caused 'serious damage' to power and heating systems, affecting approximately 20,000 households. Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov reported the damage the following morning.

Russia's defense ministry reported on Sunday that its forces destroyed or intercepted 44 Ukrainian drones during the night over the Bryansk and Rostov regions.

Escalation of Attacks on Energy Infrastructure

These recent strikes are part of a broader, intensified campaign by Ukraine against Russia's energy infrastructure throughout 2025. The objective of these attacks is to disrupt Russia's capacity to fuel its war efforts and create economic pressure.

• By early February 2025, Ukrainian drone attacks had reportedly disabled approximately 10 percent of Russia's refining capacity.
• By late August, Ukraine had succeeded in disrupting at least 17 percent of Russia's refining capacity, leading to fuel shortages across the country.
• The Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) chief, Vasyl Maliuk, stated on October 31, 2025, that Ukrainian forces had conducted nearly 160 successful strikes on Russian oil extraction and refining facilities during the year.
• The campaign has targeted at least 16 of Russia's 38 oil refineries since August 2025, with some analyses suggesting up to 38 percent of total refining capacity has been impacted.

Reciprocal Actions and Winter Concerns

The strikes on Russian power facilities come amidst a period of reciprocal attacks, with both sides targeting each other's energy infrastructure. As noted by Futura Doctrina, citizens in both nations 'face a cold, bleak winter with rolling blackouts in many areas' due to these ongoing assaults.

For instance, on November 8, 2025, Russia launched a large-scale attack on Ukraine, deploying over 450 drones and 45 missiles, which resulted in fatalities and significant damage to energy infrastructure in regions including Kyiv, Poltava, and Kharkiv. Ukrainian officials, including Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, condemned these actions, particularly strikes targeting substations powering nuclear plants. Ukraine's state-owned energy company, Centrenergo, reported that all of its thermal power plants were down following what it called 'the largest Russian attack.'

The intensified targeting of energy systems by both Ukraine and Russia underscores the strategic importance of these facilities in the ongoing conflict, particularly as winter approaches.