According to regional governor Andrei Vorobyov, the attack targeted the Shatura Power Station, located about 120 kilometres east of Moscow. He said Russian air-defence forces intercepted some of the incoming drones, but several reached the facility and caused a blaze. Video circulating on Telegram showed towering flames and thick smoke rising from the station; the location was verified, though the timing of the footage could not be confirmed.
Authorities reported that three transformers caught fire, and emergency teams were deployed to contain the damage. With temperatures hovering around freezing, Vorobyov said backup power had been activated and mobile heating units were being installed to support affected areas. Shatura, a town of roughly 33,000 people, reportedly experienced heating outages following the strike.
There was no immediate response from Ukrainian officials. Kyiv has increasingly targeted Russian oil refineries, fuel infrastructure and logistics networks in an effort to weaken Moscow’s wartime capacity. While Ukraine has previously hit power and heating facilities in Russian-controlled Ukrainian territories and regions bordering Ukraine, major strikes on electricity infrastructure serving the Moscow metropolitan area have been rare.
The attack comes amid sustained Russian bombardments on Ukraine’s own energy grid, which have caused widespread heating and power shortages across multiple Ukrainian regions in recent months.
Russia’s defence ministry said it intercepted 75 Ukrainian drones across several locations on Sunday, including 36 over the Black Sea and others near Moscow. Flight operations were briefly suspended at Vnukovo Airport before normal service resumed.
The Shatura power station, one of Russia’s oldest, dates back to the post-revolution era under Vladimir Lenin, originally powered by peat before transitioning primarily to natural gas. Authorities have launched efforts to restore full service as repairs continue.