Ukraine Hits Back: Two Russian Cities Without Power & Heating After Missile, Drone Attacks

We documented Saturday that the night prior witnessed one of Russia’s biggest ever assaults on Ukraine’s power and heating grid, including fresh strikes on thermal power plants, resulting in all state thermal facilities going down – plunging huge swathes of Ukrainian regions into darkness, including large areas of the capital.

But on Sunday Ukraine hit back, trying to beat Russia at its own game ahead of a frigid coming winter. Fresh Ukrainian cross-border aerial attacks have left two major Russian cities near the border without power and heating.

“A drone strike temporarily caused blackouts and cut heating to parts of Voronezh, regional Gov. Alexander Gusev said,” the Associated Press reports.

“He said several drones were electronically jammed during the night over the city, home to just over 1 million people, sparking a fire at a local utility facility that was quickly extinguished,” AP continues.

However, Telegram channels which monitor the war said the strike targeted a local thermal power plant. But the assault included missiles fired across the border as well. Per the report:

A missile strike late on Saturday also caused “serious damage” to power and heating systems supplying the city of Belgorod, with some 20,000 households affected, local Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov reported the following morning.

Gov. Gladkov confirmed that the “electricity and heating supply network has suffered severe damage” in the regional capital in the statement.

And blackouts were also reported in the city of Taganrog – home to about 240,000 people – in the Rostov region. Overnight Russia’s defense ministry reported the military was able to intercept 44 inbound drones.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s foreign ministry is warning of the risks to the country’s nuclear power plants due to Russia’s ramped up attacks of late.

“Russia once again targeted substations that power the Khmelnytskyi and Rivne nuclear power plants,” Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on X late Saturday. “These were not accidental but well-planned strikes. Russia is deliberately endangering nuclear safety in Europe.”

Gladkov Reports ‘Serious Damage’ to Power Supply System in Belgorod Region

Yesterday, as a result of Ukrainian Armed Forces strikes, over 20,000 residents of the region were left without power. According to local Telegram channels, the Luch thermal power plant in the regional… pic.twitter.com/Cky07T62B1

— Sota News (@sotanews) November 9, 2025

He’s calling for an international response to the crisis, and has called an meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) board of governors. The safety of nuclear power plants has remained a huge concern from nearly the start of the war.