In recent years, the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine has shifted the landscape of warfare, with energy infrastructure becoming a central target. A significant report from Eurelectric highlights this alarming trend, revealing that Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy systems reached an unprecedented 1,225 incidents in 2025 alone. This figure not only surpasses the combined total for the first three years of the war but also signifies a drastic escalation in hostilities. The cumulative damage to the energy grid is estimated to exceed $20 billion, making it one of the costliest elements of this conflict.
The Eurelectric report, titled “Battle-tested power systems,” analyzes the full-scale war in Ukraine while also examining “grey zone” hybrid attacks across Europe. This study underscores how energy systems have evolved from mere infrastructure to direct military targets—a shift that reflects the increasingly volatile nature of global conflicts.
According to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED), there were a total of 1,065 recorded attacks on energy infrastructure between February 2022 and December 2024. However, the year 2025 saw a dramatic intensification, with Russian forces employing various tactics that culminated in a massive coordinated strike on November 8, 2025. This striking offensive featured 450 drone attacks and 45 missile launches across 25 locations, showcasing the scale and sophistication of modern energy warfare. These strikes are carefully timed, often occurring before winter, aligning with Russia’s historical strategy of exploiting “General Winter” to sap civilian morale and disrupt essential services.
These energy infrastructure assaults are not limited to Ukraine; the threat has spread across Europe. The report highlights a growing trend of hybrid warfare tactics in the region. Between 2014 and 2024, there were 219 recorded acts of hybrid warfare in Europe, with 45% occurring in just the last year. These hybrid attacks often take the form of sabotage, such as severing subsea cables, and cyberattacks. A notable incident in late 2024 involved the disruption of the Estlink-2 interconnector, costing between €50-60 million in repairs.
In the digital realm, Russian-linked cyber groups like Sandworm have launched coordinated attacks targeting energy companies. In one instance, 22 Danish energy firms were attacked simultaneously, illustrating the scale of the cyber threats facing modern energy systems. Eurelectric’s benchmarking of European utilities has revealed a sector increasingly aware of these risks, though levels of preparedness vary considerably. On average, utilities rated their readiness at 6.7 on a ten-point scale, indicating there remains significant room for improvement.
Interestingly, utilities in Northern Europe and the Baltics—areas geographically closer to Russia—showed a heightened awareness and preparedness regarding physical security and integration into national defense strategies. In contrast, counterparts in Western and Southern Europe appear less equipped to handle such threats.
In response to these emerging threats, the Eurelectric report proposes three strategic recommendations aimed at safeguarding Europe’s energy security. The first is the physical hardening of critical energy infrastructure. This includes fortifying key structures with barriers like gabions, sandbags, and concrete blocks, as well as implementing protective measures like specialized drone nets. Investments in infrastructure should follow “secure-by-design” principles to ensure resilience against future attacks.
Secondly, the report advocates for a decentralization of energy resources. It notes that Ukraine’s smaller wind and solar farms have proven more resilient to attacks compared to larger, centralized thermal power plants (TPPs). This highlights the need for a diversified energy portfolio as a national security priority.
Finally, the report emphasizes the necessity for enhanced financial support. Eurelectric urges that power companies be allowed access to approximately €250 billion allocated by NATO allies for defense-related investments, specifically aimed at infrastructure protection and equipment stockpiling.
Devastatingly, the report reveals that nearly 50% of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and production capacity has been destroyed throughout this conflict, with more than 67% of its thermal generation capacity lost. Concurrently, cyberattacks in the region have surged by 30-40% since the invasion began, with groups like Sandworm deploying sophisticated malware such as Industroyer2, designed to disable high-voltage substations.
Through these insights, it’s clear that as conflict evolves, so too does the category of targets within modern warfare—where energy infrastructure stands at the forefront.
By Murat Temizer
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr