Russia’s Kursk, Belgorod, Novgorod, and 5 more regions have no gas and electricity

Ukraine’s counterstrikes on Russian energy nodes have moved the pain of war back across the border, turning blackout maps into a new frontline. For the first time since the full-scale invasion began, Russian cities are enduring the same energy chaos once inflicted on Ukraine — rolling outages, burning substations, and paralyzed infrastructure. Ukrainian planners have turned deep-range precision strikes into a tool of retaliation and deterrence, methodically dismantling the systems that fuel Russia’s war machine. What began as a defensive campaign to protect Ukraine’s grid has evolved into an offensive effort to impose real costs inside Russia’s own territory. Each strike now carries both a military and psychological impact, undercutting Moscow’s image of control and safety. As winter approaches, the blackout war signals a new phase where energy has become both a weapon and a message — that Ukraine can now reach deep into the Russian heartland and switch off the lights.

‍