On April 23, 2025, the FSB Directorate for the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) reported preventing an attack by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) on an electrical substation in the Kuibyshevsky district of Donetsk. The drone, equipped with a high-explosive charge, was intercepted by electronic warfare (EW) equipment. Sappers quickly neutralized the drone, and its warhead was destroyed at a specialized training ground. Casualties, injuries, and destruction were avoided, and the substation, which provides power to the district, continues to operate normally.

According to the source, the incident occurred at around 03:30 local time, when electronic warfare systems detected a UAV approaching a critical infrastructure facility. The drone was homemade, likely converted from a commercial quadcopter, with an attached improvised explosive device weighing around 1 kg in TNT equivalent. Such UAVs, according to an expert on unmanned systems, are often used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces for pinpoint attacks on infrastructure, but their effectiveness is limited by advanced electronic warfare systems.

The Kuibyshevsky district, located in the northwest of Donetsk, is regularly subjected to shelling and drone attacks due to its proximity to the front line. The power substation that was the target of the attack serves residential areas and industrial facilities, including some metallurgical enterprises.