Drones attack thermal power plant in Shchastia, causing major blackout in Russian-occupied territories

A major blackout occurred on the night of 27-28 August across temporarily occupied parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts. The power cuts followed a drone attack on the Luhansk Thermal Power Plant in the city of Shchastia.

Source: a Russian media outlet Astra; monitoring Telegram channels

Details: Local sources began warning of a possible drone attack as early as 21:00 on 27 August.

Around midnight, posts on social media about power outages began appearing in large numbers. In particular, the power went off in occupied Donetsk at around 01:00 on 28 August.

Local residents reported that the drone strike had caused a fire at the thermal power plant in Shchastia. Photos were also posted online that reportedly showed a fire at the facility.

Shortly afterwards, reports of widespread power outages began coming in from the so-called Donetsk People's Republic and occupied parts of Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts. Meanwhile, local Telegram channels said there was "no precise or official information".

For reference: Russian forces fully occupied the city of Shchastia on 28 February 2022. After seizing the city, the Russians announced the so-called "nationalisation" of the power plant. They used the plant's generating units to cover the power shortfall in the so-called Luhansk People's Republic.

The Luhansk Thermal Power Plant is also a key facility supporting Russia's defence industry in Ukraine's east. The plant supplies electricity to military bases, repair facilities, coal mines and railway infrastructure used by the Russian military to supply its forces.

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