Hundreds of thousands of Moscow residents are understood to be without power after Ukrainian drones attacked the city.
According to Ukrainian reports, as many as half a million people have been left without electricity.
Residential buildings, including tower blocks, in the capital have been captured in complete darkness – in footage shared on social media.
Street lamps also appear to be in blackout in some areas, with the only source of light coming from the cars on the roads.
One X account, promoted as an ‘open source intelligence monitor focused on Europe and conflicts’, shared the footage.
‘Russian channels are reporting that large portions of Moscow are currently without power, amidst a large-scale drone attack currently underway against the Russian capital by Ukraine,’ the account posted this evening.
Sharing images of the reported blackouts, Volodymyr Zelensky’s former press secretary, Iuliia Mendel, said: ‘Total blackout hits Moscow region is reported on social media: over 600,000 people plunged into darkness for more than four hours — no electricity, no mobile signal, total isolation.’
She added: ‘Drone threat declared across the oblast right now.’
Another account, which reports on the Russia-Ukraine war, wrote: ‘Power outages are now reported in the Moscow region, with no official explanation yet.
‘This comes shortly after reports of a large Ukrainian drone swarm heading toward the Russian capital.’
While the number of residents understood to be affected remains unverified, estimates range between 100,000 and 600,000 people.
The Russian capital has a population of more than 13million.
Some reports suggest the blackout could have been triggered by a substation fire – though it is unclear whether, if this was the cause, it resulted from a Ukrainian drone strike.
The attack on the capital is understood to have forced airports to suspend operations.
Russia’s air defence units destroyed a total of 27 Ukrainian drones in the three-hour period starting at 8pm local time including three over the Moscow region, the Russian defence ministry said
Andrei Vorobyov, governor of the Moscow region, said on Telegram that 21 Ukrainian drones were downed during the day over the region. One civilian person was injured as a result of the attack.
The reported attacks came a day after Russia accused Ukraine, without providing evidence, of trying to attack President Vladimir Putin’s residence.
Kyiv dismissed the allegations as baseless and aimed at derailing peace talks in the war that Russia launched against Ukraine nearly four years ago.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].
For more stories like this, check our news page.
