The Belgorod region has experienced its largest power outage since the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine. After a Ukrainian strike on the Luch thermal power plant and the Storozhevaya substation, 556,000 people were left without electricity, water and heating, while communications also failed in some areas. By comparison, the previous strike on the Luch plant on September 28 left 77,000 people without power.
Alexander, who lives in Belgorod’s southeastern outskirts, told Novaya Gazeta Europe that a missile alert was announced around midnight and that he could hear air defenses at work. He said residents were warned of another wave of incoming missiles after the first blasts, and then lights began going out across different parts of the city one after another.
“At first there were the usual interceptions somewhere three to five kilometers from us, and then I saw from the window that the lights went out in the center, then in the Kreyda district, and then where we live. At the same time as the electricity, the water went out too,” Alexander recalled.
He said his family already knows how to prepare in such conditions: store water in advance and get a generator ready. But that night they chose not to switch it on, fearing that light might attract drones. According to the paper’s sources, many local residents have generators, but they need fuel. Although limits on gasoline purchases introduced in October 2025 are said to have been lifted, local media have shown lines at gas stations.
Anastasia, who lives on Belgorod’s northern edge, said her neighborhood had mostly been spared previous blackouts, but this time the electricity went out just as she was getting ready for bed. Reaching the power utility was difficult: an automated message answered, and she later received a text saying service would be restored by 5 a.m. By morning, electricity and water had returned to her home, but she said acquaintances living in private houses outside the city still had no electricity, water or heating.
Her friend Vasilisa has no internet and almost no mobile signal. The family is using a generator to maintain at least some heating and power their router. They keep drinking water in bottles and, according to Anastasia, collect it for free from a spring at a church, while snow is used for household needs.
Residents are sharing lists of open stores and gas stations in city and district chats. Some shops are closed, others are operating in near darkness, and checkout systems are malfunctioning. In some neighborhoods, people are discussing buying generators for water towers, although water utility workers have told residents that the utility already has generators and is connecting them gradually.
After earlier strikes, Belgorod stopped turning on street lighting after 10 p.m. in order to save electricity amid damaged infrastructure. Local resident Alexey said the darkness has contributed to more traffic accidents, pedestrians have started wearing reflective items, and people try not to go outside unless necessary. The New Year light decorations, which he said had already seemed strange amid repeated outages, have now been switched off completely.
“The city is dark. It may sound romantic, but everything looks dead at night. There is no heating in most of the city, unfortunately, and that is probably the hardest part. People seemed prepared, since the Luch plant had already been hit so many times, but this time they were really frightened. When the whole city loses power, the darkness is absolute. In general, anxiety seems to hang over the city,” Alexey said.