Large-scale attacks on Russia’s electricity system could have significantly greater economic consequences than strikes on individual industrial facilities, according to Russian economist Igor Lipsits.
Speaking on The Breakfast Show, Lipsits argued that prolonged power outages in Moscow or St Petersburg would create particularly serious problems because of the highly centralised structure of the Russian economy.
“Russia is even more capital-centred than Ukraine. A great deal is concentrated in Moscow, and if there are strikes and blackouts in Moscow, this would immediately affect the entire economy,” Lipsits said.
He described the electricity system as a potential vulnerability that could have broader consequences than the attacks currently affecting Russian oil refineries.
Lipsits said a prolonged blackout in one of Russia’s largest cities could disrupt not only everyday life but also economic activity and essential services. In his assessment, Russia’s energy infrastructure is insufficiently protected against such a scenario.
He recalled a major power outage in Moscow in the mid-2000s, when electricity disruptions rapidly affected large parts of the city and surrounding areas.
“A blackout in Moscow or St Petersburg would be a terrible humanitarian catastrophe,” Lipsits said, arguing that the consequences of a prolonged disruption could be extensive.
The economist suggested that Ukraine could eventually expand its strikes to Russia’s electricity infrastructure, although he did not provide evidence that such attacks are currently planned.
