A large-scale Ukrainian drone offensive has triggered a major power outage in the Russian capital, leaving an estimated 600,000 residents of Moscow without electricity for several hours.
Capital Plunged into Darkness
The attack, which took place on December 30, 2025, resulted in widespread blackouts across the city. Social media footage showed residential tower blocks and streets shrouded in complete darkness, with only car headlights providing illumination. Reports indicated that the blackout also disrupted mobile phone signals, leading to what one source described as "total isolation" for those affected.
Iuliia Mendel, former press secretary for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, stated on social media that over 600,000 people were plunged into darkness for more than four hours. She added that a drone threat alert had been declared across the wider Moscow oblast region.
Conflicting Reports and Russian Response
While the scale of the outage is significant, the exact number of people impacted remains unverified, with estimates ranging from 100,000 to 600,000. Some Russian channels suggested the blackout may have been caused by a substation fire, though it is unclear if this was a direct result of the drone assault.
In response, the Russian military claimed to have intercepted the attack, stating it downed more than 100 Ukrainian drones over a four-hour period. Moscow's mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, confirmed that several unmanned aerial vehicles had been intercepted. The drone threat was severe enough to force the temporary suspension of operations at the city's airports.
Ongoing Drone Warfare Escalation
This incident marks a significant escalation in Ukraine's use of long-range drone technology to strike targets deep within Russian territory. Open-source intelligence monitors reported a "large-scale drone attack" and a "large Ukrainian drone swarm" heading toward the capital prior to the blackouts.
The attack on Moscow, a city of over 13 million people, demonstrates the expanding geographical reach of the conflict and the vulnerability of critical urban infrastructure. It follows a pattern of increased drone and missile strikes on energy facilities on both sides of the war.
