Key takeaways
- Russia is no longer simply attacking Ukraine’s power grid but field-testing a strategy of blackout warfare, according to Gabriel Collins and Igor Khrestin.
- Russia launches thousands of drones and hundreds of missiles per month across Ukraine in its campaign against the country’s energy system.
- Moscow’s blackout campaign combines strikes on power plants and hard-to-replace high-voltage transformers with destruction of natural gas systems down to the city level.
- Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s grid leave families in the dark, interrupt schools, push hospitals onto generator power with limited water, and starve industry of electricity.
- Collins and Khrestin argue in Foreign Policy that Russia’s blackout warfare against Ukraine needs a U.S. counter.
Russia is no longer simply attacking Ukraine’s grid; it is field-testing a strategy of blackout warfare. As it unleashes thousands of drones and hundreds of missiles per month across Ukraine, Moscow now combines strikes on power plants and hard-to-replace high-voltage transformers as well as and destruction of natural gas systems all the way down to the city level. The impacts are stark: families shivering in the dark, schools interrupted, hospitals trying to deliver lifesaving care with generator power and limited water, and industry starving for electrons.
Full Article Available at: https://foreignpolicy.com/2025/12/11/ukraine-blackout-energy-russia-deterrent/
Suggested Citation: Gabriel Collins and Igor Khrestin, “Russia’s Blackout Warfare Needs a U.S. Counter,” Foreign Policy, December 11, 2025, https://foreignpolicy.com/2025/12/11/ukraine-blackout-energy-russia-deterrent/
Frequently asked questions
What is blackout warfare in Ukraine?
Blackout warfare is the term Gabriel Collins and Igor Khrestin use for Russia’s strategy of targeting Ukraine’s energy system as a whole. Moscow combines strikes on power plants and hard-to-replace high-voltage transformers with destruction of natural gas systems down to the city level, using thousands of drones and hundreds of missiles per month.
How many drones and missiles is Russia using against Ukraine’s grid?
Russia is launching thousands of drones and hundreds of missiles per month across Ukraine, according to Collins and Khrestin. That volume lets Moscow strike power plants, high-voltage transformers and natural gas systems in combination, which the authors describe as field-testing a strategy of blackout warfare rather than simply attacking the grid.
Why is Russia targeting Ukraine’s high-voltage transformers?
The article identifies high-voltage transformers as hard-to-replace equipment, which makes them a priority target in Russia’s campaign. Moscow pairs transformer strikes with attacks on power plants and on natural gas systems all the way down to the city level, aiming at the energy system rather than at single facilities.
How do Russian attacks on the power grid affect Ukrainian civilians?
Russia’s grid attacks leave families shivering in the dark and interrupt schools, according to Collins and Khrestin. Hospitals are trying to deliver lifesaving care on generator power with limited water, and industry is starving for electrons, so the damage reaches homes, public services and the economy at the same time.
Where can I read the full blackout warfare analysis?
The full analysis, “Russia’s Blackout Warfare Needs a U.S. Counter,” by Gabriel Collins and Igor Khrestin, was published by Foreign Policy on December 11, 2025. The Collins Research Portal page summarizes its opening argument, and the title signals the authors’ view that the United States needs a response.
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