Wartime experience bolsters Ukraine’s winter gas prep, says Naftogaz acting CEO
Lessons learned over the last four-plus years of war have helped Ukraine maintain robust natural gas preparations for the coming winter, despite persistent Russian strikes on energy assets that point to what may be the war-torn country’s toughest heating season yet, Serhiy Fedorenko, acting CEO of state-owned oil and gas company Naftogaz, told Platts, part ...
Ukraine's acting CEO of Naftogaz, Serhiy Fedorenko, attributes the country's robust winter gas preparations to the lessons learned from the ongoing war. Despite persistent Russian attacks on energy assets, Ukraine is on track to meet its target of stocking 14.6 billion cubic meters of gas by winter. As of August 1, storage was filled to about 13.1 Bcm, compared to just 9.6 Bcm this time last year.
Naftogaz also brought 140 new gas wells online in 2025. While imports have significantly decreased, they are still far below 2025 levels. Fedorenko declined to discuss specific production figures, citing security concerns. However, he noted that Russian strikes have increased this year, with the company facing 279 attacks as of July 28 compared to 229 in all of 2025.
Russian attacks have also increased on fuel retail stations. Fedorenko stated that Ukraine will not send gas exports to other countries due to military threats. Naftogaz is preparing for the worst-case scenario, assuming a "worst-case scenario" financing shortfall of "hundreds of millions of Euros." Despite this, Fedorenko expressed confidence that Ukraine will withstand the challenges of the upcoming winter.
Written by urgent.news from Hellenic Shipping News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
