Статті
USF disabled 267 power nodes in occupied territories. Blackouts visible from space
Since the start of Operation "Crimean Circuit Breaker Off" on July 1, Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces (USF) have disabled 267 power nodes in temporarily occupied territories, according to a statement made on August 22 by Robert Brovdi, commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces.
We compiled nighttime lighting imagery (VIIRS) for July and August 2025 and the same months in 2026, and compared the amount of lighting in each period. The map shows lighting that disappeared in red, lighting that appeared in 2026 in blue, and areas with no changes in white.
The blackouts affected Melitopol, Berdiansk, Dzhankoi, Yevpatoria, Feodosia, Kerch, and the entire southern coast of Crimea from Sevastopol to Yalta. The red stretches across the map as one continuous field: not only did cities go dark, but also villages and the roads connecting them.
At the same time, the blackouts did not reach Donetsk: according to satellite imagery, lighting there has actually increased over the past year.
Why is this important
For the first time since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, the electricity situation in the occupied territories is now worse than in Ukrainian-controlled areas.
In 2024, we used satellite imagery to show how Ukrainian-controlled territory had plunged into darkness during the war, while the occupied territories had not lost lighting as of 2024 and in some places had even become brighter. Here is what those changes looked like:
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