Moscow Fortifies Power Plant After Record Ukrainian Attack

A major Moscow power plant is being surrounded with concrete blocks after the Russian capital came under what local authorities described as its largest Ukrainian drone attack of the war. Eyewitnesses told independent Russian outlet ASTRA on Monday, Sept. 21, that concrete barriers were being installed around CHP-8 on Volgogradsky Prospekt.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. ASTRA suggested the blocks could serve as a base for anti-drone netting intended to protect the facility from future aerial attacks. The purpose of the construction has not been officially confirmed by Moscow authorities or Mosenergo, the Russian energy company operating the plant. Kyiv Post could not independently verify whether the barriers are part of an anti-drone protection system. Power plant supplies several Moscow districts CHP-8 is a combined heat and power plant in Moscow’s southeastern Nizhny Novgorod district. It supplies electricity and heating to residential areas and major industrial facilities across several parts of the Russian capital. The facility is part of Mosenergo, a subsidiary of the Russian state-controlled energy giant Gazprom. Unlike a conventional power station, a combined heat and power plant simultaneously produces electricity and heat for residential and industrial consumers. Damage to such a facility could therefore affect both the power supply and district heating. The measures around CHP-8 follow similar attempts to shield strategic Russian facilities with nets, barriers and improvised structures as Ukraine expands its long-range drone campaign. Other Topics of Interest Book Genocide: How Russia Has Waged War on Ukrainian Books for Centuries From imperial bans on Ukrainian-language publishing to missile assaults on warehouses, Russia has waged a centuries-long war against the Ukrainian word. However, ASTRA did not report that CHP-8 itself was struck during the latest attack. Record attack hits Moscow refinery The fortification work began after a massive Ukrainian aerial attack on Moscow and the surrounding region overnight into Sunday, Sept. 20. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin claimed Russian forces had intercepted more than 1,600 drones since Saturday, including around 450 approaching Moscow. “The unprecedented attack was clearly planned with the aim of disrupting the elections,” Sobyanin said on his Telegram channel. Russian authorities reported that three people were killed and around 20 others injured during the attacks. Kyiv has not independently confirmed the Russian casualty figures. Several drones reached the Moscow Oil Refinery in the Kapotnya district, where explosions and a large fire were reported. Reuters witnesses saw smoke rising from the refinery, while Sobyanin acknowledged that part of the facility had been damaged. The refinery processed approximately 11.6 million metric tons of oil in 2024, producing 2.9 million tons of gasoline and 3.2 million tons of diesel, according to Reuters. ASTRA also reported strikes on a warehouse complex in Sofyino and a power facility in Dzerzhinsky, east of Moscow. The full extent of the damage has not been independently established. The construction follows an unconfirmed proposal for Russia and Ukraine to stop targeting energy facilities. Kyiv has said it would consider halting such strikes only if Moscow does the same and international partners can verify that both sides comply. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.