Alexander, a resident of the southeastern suburbs of Belgorod, says that on January 8 at midnight, a missile alarm sounded in the city – he heard that air defense systems were activated. After the first attacks stopped, residents were warned of further rocket strikes.
— First, there were failures [zasilania] three to five kilometers away from us. Then I saw through the window that the lights had gone out in the city center. The same thing happened in the Kreida district and here. First the electricity went out, then the water a moment later, Aleksander recalls. This isn't the first time, so his family already knows how to prepare for it – they need to stock up on water and prepare a generator.
Many residents of Belgorod bought them a long time ago so that they could charge their phones and connect electrical devices during power outages.
However, fuel is needed for the generator to operate. In October 2025, restrictions on the purchase of gasoline by one person were introduced in Belgorod. Currently, however, as Novaya Gazeta's interlocutors say, the restrictions no longer apply. Photos and recordings appear in the local media long queues at gas stations — it's probably fuel for the generators.
Anastasia lives on the northern outskirts of Belgorod. She says her neighborhood has been able to avoid previous power outages. It even happened that houses across the street were without electricity, but not hers. This time it was different.
The electricity also went out in her apartment for a period of time, just as she was getting ready for bed. She called the energy company, but she heard an answering machine asking her to leave her details. After some time, Anastazja received an SMS in which the company promised to restore electricity by 5:00. The girl's neighbor couldn't reach the energy company at all. In the morning, the electricity and water in the girl's house actually came back on. It was similar in other districts of the city.
Queues for stations and water from snow
Anastasia says that her friends living in private houses outside the city still have no electricity, water or heating. Her friend Wasilisa has no internet or mobile coverage at all. The girl's family bought a generator a long time ago and now uses it to provide even minimal heating. She also connected a router to the generator. Wasilisa's parents also store drinking water in bottles – they say they go to the church to get it for free from the source there. They obtain water for economic purposes from snow. It is not known when electricity will appear in their area.
Anna, another friend of Anastazja's, has reception, but no heating, water or electricity. He lives in an old house – he heats it with a stove and uses the basement instead of a refrigerator.
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In city and district chat rooms, people share information about where to find open stores – due to power outages, many of them are currently closed. One large supermarket operates in semi-darkness – customers are having problems at the checkouts. Some gas stations are also closed, which means that the queues for those that are open are only getting longer. People complain about that they have to drive halfway around town to find a gas station where they can buy fuel for the generator.
Anastazja also says that in some districts, authorities are considering purchasing generators for water towers to ensure a constant supply of water. The towers themselves belong to the municipal waterworks. His workers assured residents that they had generators and were gradually connecting them. However, residents had to wait all day for water supplies to be resumed.
The new normal
After the recent attacks on Belgorod, the city authorities stopped turning on street lighting after 10 p.m. (in practice, it is sometimes turned off even earlier) to save electricity. Because of this, accidents began to occur more frequently in the city. Pedestrians have started wearing reflective elements and try not to go out on the streets unless necessary.
As one of the residents, Alexei, says, in the face of constant power outages, the installation of all kinds of Christmas light decorations in the city looked quite strange. Recently, however, all the lights were turned off.
— It's dark in the city. Of course it's romantic, but at night everything looks deserted. Unfortunately, most of the city has no heating. And this is probably the most difficult thing. We spent the night in the cold ourselves, sleeping in clothes and under warm blankets, but we are still lucky because at least we have a generator, he says.
— In the morning we heard the roar of generators in some houses in our area. People seemed to be prepared – the Łucz thermal power plant had already been attacked so many times. This time, however, they were very scared. When the entire city is without electricity, there is total darkness. There is a general atmosphere of anxiety in the city – he adds.
I’m Ashley Davis as an editor, I’m committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity and accuracy in every piece we publish. My work is driven by curiosity, a passion for truth, and a belief that journalism plays a crucial role in shaping public discourse. I strive to tell stories that not only inform but also inspire action and conversation.
