Russian City of Orel Loses Heat After Drone Strike on Power Plant

Explosions were reported early Friday, Oct. 31, in several Russian cities, including Vladimir, Yaroslavl, and Orel, as drones struck key energy infrastructure.

According to the Telegram channel Astra, a powerful explosion occurred on the outskirts of Vladimir, in the village of Energetik, where an electrical substation was hit, sparking a large fire.

The Vladimirskaya substation is a major regional energy hub with an installed capacity of about 4,010 MVA and serves as a key node in the 110-750 kV power grid.

Regional governor Alexander Avdeev later confirmed the incident, saying that “all systems are now operating normally,” without specifying the extent of the damage or possible casualties.

In Yaroslavl, local residents reported explosions near the Slavneft-Yaroslavnefteorgsintez oil refinery. Governor Mikhail Evraev confirmed that an attack had taken place but claimed there were no casualties.

 Airspace over Yaroslavl’s Tunoshna airport was temporarily restricted, according to Rosaviatsia.

A more serious strike occurred in the city of Orel, where drones hit a local thermal power plant (TPP), damaging power supply equipment, according to regional governor Andrey Klychkov.

He said there were “no injuries or fires” but confirmed that parts of the city were left without heat and hot water.

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“Repair crews are working to eliminate a number of damages to the main pipeline,” Klychkov said, adding that the supply restrictions affected three of the city’s four districts. “There is no need to panic; the situation is under control.”

CCTV footage published by Astra appeared to show two impacts at the Orel TPP, one of which hit the facility’s open switchgear that distributes electricity from the plant to the grid.

The Orel TPP is the largest power generation source in the region, and with night temperatures hovering around 5-6°C, the outage poses serious challenges for residents.

The Russian Defense Ministry claimed that 130 Ukrainian aircraft-type drones were “intercepted and destroyed” overnight, including nine over Orel and five over Yaroslavl, but made no mention of the strike in Vladimir.

The Ukrainian side has not commented on the reported attacks.