Ukraine deployed drones to attack a thermal power station in Moscow Oblast, Russia on Sunday (November 23), triggering a large fire and causing heating interruptions for thousands of people. This is one of the largest attacks Ukraine has carried out on deep power stations within Russia to date.
As Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II approaches its fourth year, Russia has been aggressively targeting Ukraine’s power and heating facilities, while Ukraine has primarily focused on attacking Russia’s oil refineries, oil ports, and pipelines.
According to Reuters, Moscow Oblast Governor Andrei Vorobyov stated on Sunday that in the early hours of the day, Ukrainian drones attacked the Shatura Power Station located approximately 120 kilometers (75 miles) east of the Kremlin.
A video circulating on the social media platform Telegram shows a fireball and black smoke billowing into the night sky from the power station. Reuters has verified the location where the video was shot, but could not confirm the exact date of the footage.
Vorobyov said, “Some drones were destroyed by anti-aircraft forces, with several crashing in the vicinity of the power station. The facility caught fire.”
Vorobyov has activated backup power sources and is providing mobile heating systems to areas where temperatures are nearing freezing.
“We are working tirelessly to restore heating as soon as possible,” Vorobyov emphasized. Shatura town has a population of approximately 33,000.
According to the Russian newspaper Kommersant, local emergency services stated that three transformers at the power station caught fire. A local resident mentioned that there is currently no heating.
The Shatura Power Station is one of the oldest in Russia, originally utilizing peat for power generation and now primarily relying on natural gas.
Ukraine has not immediately commented on the incident.
In recent weeks and months, due to Russian attacks, some areas in Ukraine have experienced repeated power and heating outages. Ukraine aims to weaken Russia’s wartime economy by targeting Russia’s oil revenue.
Ukraine has also targeted some power and heating facilities in Russian-controlled Ukrainian territories and regions near the Ukrainian border, but so far has not caused significant damage to the power and heating facilities serving Moscow and its surrounding areas where the population exceeds 22 million.
Additionally, Reuters cited a statement from the Russian Defense Ministry on Sunday, reporting the downing of 75 Ukrainian drones, with 36 shot down over the Black Sea and several others over Moscow Oblast. Vnukovo International Airport in Moscow resumed operations after a one-hour flight suspension on Sunday.