Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure reached 1,225 last year, eclipsing the cumulative total of the war's first three years, while the damage to the grid has surpassed $20 billion.
A new report by Eurelectric, titled "Battle-tested power systems," analyzes the full-scale war in Ukraine and "grey zone" hybrid attacks across Europe, confirming that energy systems are no longer merely infrastructure but have become direct military targets.
According to the report, Russian tactics in Ukraine saw a dramatic intensification in 2025. While the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED) recorded 1,065 attacks on energy infrastructure between February 2022 and December 2024, the 1,225 attacks carried out last year alone exceeded the combined total of the previous three years.
These assaults have resulted in more than $20 billion (approximately €17 billion) in damages.
A massive coordinated strike on November 8, 2025, utilizing 450 exploding bomber drones and 45 missiles against 25 locations, demonstrated the staggering scale of modern energy warfare. The report noted that these attacks, often concentrated ahead of winter to deploy the centuries-old "General Winter" strategy, specifically target chokepoints such as primary transformers and thermal power plants (TPPs) to sap civilian morale and disrupt vital services.
- Rise of hybrid threats in Europe
The threat is not confined to active war zones as European Union (EU) member states are increasingly targeted by "deniable" hybrid attacks in the "grey zone."
Between 2014 and 2024, 219 acts of hybrid warfare were recorded in Europe, with 45% occurring in 2024 alone.
The sabotage of subsea cables and cyberattacks are at the forefront of these threats. The report highlights that the severance of the Estlink-2 interconnector in late 2024 cost between €50-60 million in repairs.
In the digital domain, Russian-linked groups, such as Sandworm, launched a coordinated cyberattack targeting 22 Danish energy companies simultaneously.
Eurelectric's benchmarking of European utilities reveals a sector that is aware of the risks but still grappling with uneven levels of readiness. On a ten-point scale, utilities rated their general preparedness at an average of 6.7.
The report found that companies in Northern Europe and the Baltics, which are geographically closer to Russia, are significantly more conscious and better prepared regarding physical protection and integration into national defense compared to their counterparts in Western and Southern Europe.
- Three strategic recommendations
The report outlined 3 core strategies to safeguard Europe's energy security.
First, it calls for the physical hardening of critical infrastructure. This includes fortifying critical infrastructure with gabions, sandbags, concrete blocks, and specialized drone nets, while ensuring new investments follow "secure-by-design" criteria.
Second, noting that Ukraine's wind and solar farms proved more resilient to strikes than large centralized TPPs, the report advocates for decentralization as a national security priority.
Finally, the report highlights the need for greater financial support. Eurelectric calls for power companies to be allowed to tap into the approximately €250 billion in defense-related investment funds allocated by NATO allies for infrastructure protection and equipment stockpiling.
The report revealed that approximately 50% of Ukraine's total energy infrastructure and production capacity has been destroyed during the war, with over 67% of thermal generation capacity lost.
Furthermore, cyberattacks have increased by 30-40% since the invasion began, with groups like Sandworm deploying Industroyer2 malware to disable high-voltage substations.
By Murat Temizer
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr
