Russian forces attacked Ukraine’s energy sector on September 30 with drones carrying a special warhead that, according to Ukrainian presidential adviser and military technology expert Serhii Flash, was developed to destroy high-voltage pylons and metal bridge structures. According to the authorities, the strikes hit major power lines near Kyiv and energy facilities in the Chernihiv and Zhytomyr regions, after which emergency blackouts were introduced in several regions.
Flash called this warhead a cumulative-cutting special payload (KRSN) and clarified that it consists of a 40 kg charge and four strike modules. Judging by the video, the drones deliberately rammed into the pylons and caused a powerful explosion.
According to the authorities, emergency power outages were introduced in the Chernihiv and Zhytomyr regions. In the morning, power disruptions were also recorded in the Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Sumy, and Kharkiv regions.
In Kyiv, according to DTEK, it was possible to restore the rolling blackout schedule, which was reintroduced in the city for the first time since the beginning of autumn. At the same time, the power went out in the metro, and electric transport stopped running because of a lack of voltage in the grid.
The Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on September 30, it shot down 254 Russian drones out of 285. They said the attacks are continuing.
At the beginning of September, Vladimir Putin said at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit that the Russian Armed Forces had received orders to attack Ukraine’s energy sector. Shortly before that, Russia’s Defense Ministry warned that such strikes would be a response to attacks on civilian infrastructure and Russia’s fuel and energy complex, and in September the ministry repeatedly reported strikes on ammunition and fuel depots, energy facilities used in the interests of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and storage sites for long- and medium-range drones and their components.
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