Russia has declared a national emergency after Ukraine launched massive attacks against the Russian energy grid, plunging regions like Belgorod and Kursk into darkness.
In Belgorod, chaos reigns, and what Russia inflicted on Ukraine in previous winters is now being inflicted on Russia itself.
The crisis began after a wave of Ukrainian strikes against Belgorod's energy network, locals reported loud explosions followed by immediate blackouts, as Ukrainian drones first hit key transformers throughout the city.
Within hours, another barrage hit the Belgorod thermal power plant, leaving 40,000 people without electricity. Footage shows the Luch power substation engulfed in flames, with emergency services unable to contain the fire.
Belgorod governor Vyacheslav Gladkov urged residents to find alternative power sources and rely on generators after Ukrainian missiles and drones wiped out the city's main power systems.
But the order borders on absurdity: due to Russia's worsening fuel crisis, local authorities have simultaneously prohibited citizens from filling jerry cans with gasoline, the very fuel these generators run on.
Panic spread quickly as residents realized there was no backup plan or realistic solution coming from the government. Gas stations were ordered to conserve supplies for critical infrastructure only, leaving civilians trapped in the dark.
Kursk region soon followed, as Ukrainian drones hit transmission lines, causing widespread outages. Ukrainian official Andriy Kovalenko confirmed both Belgorod and Kursk were without power.
In Bryansk region's Klintsy, a thermal power plant erupted in flames after a combined strike, the explosion captured by locals and shared widely online.
In the Vladimir region, a 750 kilovolt substation, a critical node in central Russia's energy grid, was disabled. In Ulyanovsk, the 500 kilovolt Veshkama substation was struck by multiple drones, causing cascading power failures across the region.
An attack on Samara's Kinel-Cherkasy substation followed, knocking out another major link in Russia's interconnected grid.
Hours later, Volgograd's Balashovkaya substation went up in flames, disrupting the power transfer from the Volzhskaya hydroelectric station.
The strikes reached as far as Nizhny Novgorod, where six Ukrainian long-range drones reportedly hit a key energy facility, cutting power to over 200,000 residents and shutting down industrial zones, with even mobile phone networks collapsing.
When the region's governor called the communications and electricity blackout a healthy detox, residents responded with fury, accusing local authorities of lying and avoiding the problem while their homes froze and their businesses shut down.
Emergency crews are stretched thin, fires rage across several substations, and the power grid is fragmented under sustained pressure.
With the first snow falling, many regions are facing rolling blackouts, and local governments have begun rationing electricity to critical infrastructure only.
Overall, Ukraine's message is clear: for every blackout Russia causes, it will face one at home.
Ukrainian domestically produced long-range drones and missiles are now able to strike hundreds of kilometers into Russian territory, with a precision and consistency it did not have in previous years.
As Russian officials declare an energy emergency and struggle to restore power, Ukraine has transformed from a victim of energy terror into a master of retaliation. The lights may be out in Belgorod, Kursk, and Novgorod, but Ukraine says Moscow may follow soon.
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