Ukraine Faces Severe Gas Infrastructure Attacks Amid Escalating Tensions
Ukraine continues to grapple with significant assaults on its gas infrastructure, particularly from Russian forces, which have severely disrupted gas production levels. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized the resilience of the Ukrainian people, stating, “The Russians cannot understand that we cannot be broken and intimidated like this. We support and protect each other. We will restore everything. We will rebuild everything,” reports 24brussels.
Zelenskyy highlighted the urgent situation facing Ukraine’s gas infrastructure, noting heavy pressure imposed by the Kremlin. He outlined his government’s contingency plans, stating, “We have Plan A and Plan B. Under Plan B, if there is, for example, a strong attack on all gas infrastructure, we understand that we have imports then.” He provided no further specifics regarding the strategic details of these plans.
Further enhancing his message, Zelenskyy clarified, “We know the volume and cost of the necessary imports — this is Plan B. Plan A is when we rely more on our own production. In Plan B, we also know where to find the money required.” The comments came amid preparations to address looming energy shortages exacerbated by recent attacks.
The situation escalated significantly following strikes on October 3, which targeted Poltava and Kharkiv, key regions for gas extraction. Those attacks reportedly incapacitated approximately 60 percent of Ukraine’s domestic gas production, as noted by Bloomberg last week.
According to Naftogaz, this marked the most severe strike on gas infrastructure since the commencement of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, involving over 35 missiles and 60 drones. The scale of the damage likely compels Kyiv to secure an additional €1.9 billion in urgent gas imports, signaling a desperate need to fortify its energy resources in light of ongoing adversarial actions.
