Ukraine to boost gas imports due to Russian attacks on energy infrastructure, Bloomberg reports
Ukraine plans to import about 3.5 billion cubic meters of gas for the upcoming heating season due to ongoing Russian attacks on its energy infrastructure, Bloomberg reported on March 4.
Recent Russian missile and drone strikes have significantly reduced Ukraine's gas production capacity, forcing the country to rely more heavily on imports to meet domestic demand. Damage to infrastructure has caused production drops of up to 40% at times.
'We are waiting for a final approval of the balance, which will define the projected volume of consumption, extraction, and imports of gas,' Roman Chumak, acting CEO of Ukraine's state-owned oil and gas company Naftogaz, told Bloomberg.
The country's gas buying plans come amid a volatile market marked by high competition and elevated prices due to Europe's need to replenish low gas inventories.
In February, Ukraine imported 560 million cubic meters of gas from Europe, compared to just 700 million cubic meters for the entire previous heating season, Bloomberg reported, citing estimates from Kyiv-based Dragon Capital.
Due to Russian strikes and extreme cold in February, Ukraine's gas production sharply declined, leading Naftogaz to urgently purchase significant amounts of natural gas from the European Union to meet critical heating demands.
Tensions between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. President Donald Trump could potentially weaken Ukraine's ability to defend against Russian attacks, raising concerns about energy security, according to Bloomberg.
Naftogaz and Ukrainian energy company DTEK confirmed to Reuters that Russian forces attacked and damaged their facilities twice in February.
At the start of 2025, Ukraine halted its agreement with Russia to transport Russian gas to European customers through its pipelines, as the deal expired at the end of 2024 and was not renewed.
Read also: US military aid freeze to Ukraine temporary, linked to Zelensky-Trump clash
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