Russia has again struck civilian gas infrastructure facilities of the “Naftogaz” group in the Poltava region. As the company’s press service reported, this is the seventh targeted attack since the beginning of October. There were no casualties.
Chairman of the board of NJSC Serhiy Koretsky reported that emergency crews are working on site to assess the consequences of the damage and have already begun restoration work. According to him, the facilities that were hit have no military significance.
“The only goal of these strikes is to leave Ukrainians without gas and heat,” – Koretsky emphasized.
According to him, the company “Naftogaz of Ukraine” is taking into account several possible scenarios – continued Russian attacks and additional destruction, the possibility of full or partial use of the underground gas storage facilities, the level of domestic production. He emphasized that, taking into account these factors, the company plans to import additional gas on a regular schedule.
According to data Bloomberg, Russian strikes have already knocked out up to 60% of Ukraine’s domestic gas production, forcing the country to significantly increase fuel imports before the winter season. To ensure a stable heating season, it will be necessary to import about 4.4 billion cubic meters of gas worth about $2.2 billion, which is almost 20% of annual consumption.
As of mid-October, Ukraine has already imported 4.58 billion cubic meters of gas since the beginning of the year, of which 3.67 billion after the end of the last heating season. Initially, the need by the end of the year was estimated at 5.8 billion cubic meters, but due to new attacks, this figure will increase.
