Ukrainian Drone Strike Sparks Fire at Russian Electrical Substation in Volgograd Oblast
VOLGOGRAD OBLAST,RUSSIA – A fire erupted at the Balashovskaya electrical substation in Russia’s Volgograd Oblast on October 25 following a reported Ukrainian drone strike,according to regional Governor Andrey Bocharov. This marks the second incident targeting the same substation in less than two weeks.
Bocharov stated the fire was caused by drone debris after a ”massive attack” on the region. Firefighters have since extinguished the blaze, though the full extent of the damage remains unclear.
The Balashovskaya substation, a 500-kv facility owned by a subsidiary of Rosseti – Russia’s largest power transmission company – was previously struck on October 16, resulting in power outages for several local communities.
The attacks come as Ukraine has increasingly focused on long-range strikes against Russian energy infrastructure, a critical component of Moscow’s revenue stream supporting its ongoing full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Recent Ukrainian strikes have also targeted oil, gas, and thermal power plants within Russia, including a reported strike on a thermal power plant in Belgorod Oblast in late September.
These strikes occur as Russia continues to launch frequent and large-scale aerial attacks on Ukrainian cities, consistently targeting and damaging Ukraine’s power grid each fall and winter. Kyiv Mayor vitali Klitschko recently warned on October 23 that the city is preparing for what could be the most challenging winter as the start of the war, due to escalating Russian attacks on energy infrastructure.
The Kyiv Self-reliant has not independently verified claims made by Russian officials.
