Moscow Region Experiences Widespread Power Outages Amid Grid Emergency and Reported Drone Activity

Widespread Blackouts Hit Moscow Region

The Moscow region experienced significant power outages on the evening of October 31, 2025, plunging numerous areas into darkness and disrupting daily life. Residents across various districts reported loss of electricity, with local media publishing videos of darkened streets. The outages extended into the early hours of November 1.

Impact on Infrastructure and Daily Life

The blackouts affected a broad swathe of the capital and its surrounding oblast. Areas such as Zhukovsky, Biryulyovo, Maryino, Kapotnya, Taganka, Orekhovo-Borisovo, Lyubertsy, Novye Cheryomushki, Zhulebino, Brateyevo, Perovo, and Lyublino, as well as central Moscow, were impacted. The disruption led to considerable challenges:

• Public Transport: Metro services were severely affected, with 43 trains halted in tunnels and an estimated 20,000 passengers stranded on lines including Zamoskvoretskaya, Kahovskaya, Kaluzhsko-Rizhskaya, Butovskaya, Tulskaya, Lyublinskaya, and Perovskaya. Trolleybus and tram lines were also cut off.
• Traffic: Traffic lights ceased functioning in central Moscow, leading to significant traffic jams and delays.
• Utilities: Initial reports indicated disruptions to water supply in southern Moscow due to pumping stations losing power.

Businesses, offices, and institutions across the affected areas also faced operational challenges due to the widespread power loss.

Official Russian Statements and Drone Interceptions

Russian authorities provided initial explanations for the outages. The administration of Zhukovsky attributed the incident to an 'emergency situation in the power system'. Other reports cited a failure within the central energy system of Unified Energy System of Russia (RAO UES) at the Chagino substation, or a malfunction at a substation in the Kapotnya area. Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin announced that one drone had been shot down at 11:40 p.m. on its approach to the city. The Russian Ministry of Defense later claimed that air defense systems had intercepted a total of 98 drones across ten regions between 11:00 p.m. on October 31 and 7:00 a.m. on November 1, with 11 drones reportedly downed over the Moscow region, including six on approach to the capital.

Ukrainian Claims of Targeted Strikes

In parallel with the Moscow outages, Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR) claimed responsibility for a 'serious blow' to Russian logistics. HUR stated that its forces struck a key fuel pipeline in the Ramensky district near Moscow on the evening of October 31. This 'Koltsevoy' pipeline, spanning 400 kilometers, reportedly supplied gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel to the Russian military, and HUR asserted that all three fuel lines were simultaneously destroyed. Furthermore, Ukraine's Naval Forces confirmed precision Neptune missile strikes on energy infrastructure in the Bryansk and Oryol regions on October 31, targeting facilities identified as supplying power to defense industries. Reports also emerged of drone attacks on a thermal power plant in Oryol, the Vladimirskaya substation (a 750 kV substation integral to the energy ring around Moscow), and the Slavneft-YANOS oil refinery in Yaroslavl, coinciding with the broader period of disruptions.