Overnight Saturday, October 25, Ukrainian drones hit Russia’s Volgograd region, with about 15 explosions reported.
The strike sparked a fire at the Balashovskaya power transmission line, which carries electricity from the Volzhskaya Hydroelectric Power Plant to Russia’s Central region, according to Russian Telegram channels.
“Air defense forces of Russia’s Defense Ministry repelled a massive drone attack on the Volgograd region. As UAV debris fell in the Novonikolayevsky district on the grounds of the Balashovskaya substation, a fire was recorded and quickly extinguished,” regional governor Andrey Bocharov acknowledged.
Serhiy Bratchuk, spokesman for the head of the Odesa regional administration, said this was not the first UAV raid on the substation. He added it was previously attacked on October 16.
The Balashovskaya substation, with an installed capacity of 1,523 MVA, is located in the settlement of Novonikolayevskoye in northern Volgograd region. It transmits electricity from the Volzhskaya HPP to Russia’s Central region and supplies power to the Novonikolayevsky district of Volgograd region, the southeastern part of Voronezh region, and the western part of Saratov region. In other words, it is a key facility in Russia’s southern power system.
Ukraine’s campaign of strikes on oil refineries in Russia, launched in the summer of 2025, has already reshaped the energy and financial landscape of the aggressor country.
