Blackout chaos across Russian-occupied Donetsk and nearby towns amid drone attack
Illustrative photo: Donetsk faces blackout after reported drone attack (Getty Images)
Around 10:00 PM Kyiv time on November 16, a sudden blackout hit Russian-occupied Donetsk and several other towns in the region. Local residents reported sightings of unidentified drones before the outage, according to social media posts.
Local social media channels shared videos and photos showing the blackout in Donetsk.
Authorities called the cause a "strike on a substation." According to unconfirmed reports, the substation was attacked by unknown drones, and enemy air defense systems were active.
In addition to Donetsk, the occupied Yasynuvata and at least the Chervonohvardiiskyi district of Makiivka lost power. Parts of Horlivka and Yenakiieve were also partially affected.
The previous significant blackout in temporarily Russian-occupied Donetsk occurred on the evening of November 13, when multiple large explosions were reported.
A major fire broke out, causing a citywide power outage. Reports indicated that the Donetsk Metallurgical Plant, currently inactive, was struck. Russian occupiers had converted the facility into a military base.
Russian sources claimed that explosions in the Voroshylovskyi and Kyivskyi districts triggered the automatic shutdown of 22 transformer substations, leaving at least 3,100 subscribers without electricity.
Blackouts in Russian cities
On the evening of November 8, the Russian city of Belgorod experienced a large-scale blackout, leaving at least 20,000 residents without power. Reports said a missile allegedly struck the Luch thermal power plant in Belgorod, damaging its gas turbine units and forcing them offline. The plant provides electricity to Belgorod and the surrounding settlements.
On the evening of November 3, Rylsk in the Kursk region and Frolovo in the Volgograd region experienced power outages.
On November 1, drones reportedly attacked the city of Zheleznogorsk in the Kursk region, hitting a substation and leaving part of the city without electricity.
On the evening of October 31, the Moscow suburbs lost power. Local social media had earlier reported sightings of unidentified drones approaching the Russian capital.
