Space blackout

A Russian energy company pulled the plug on a military base responsible for
monitoring the International Space Station, because it hadn’t paid its bills.
The military criticised the blackout last week at the Russian facility on the
Kamchatka Peninsula in the far east of the country, saying it was
unconstitutional and put the ISS at risk. But the electricity provider, United
Energy Services, insisted it couldn’t maintain supplies because the base hadn’t
paid its bills for some time. The base resorted to using reserve power units and
diesel generators until power was restored.