KYIV: Ukraine lost almost half its domestic gas production during the winter due to Russian attacks, and is still making up for the shortfall through imports, Prime Minister Denys Shmygal said Tuesday.
Russia has pounded Ukrainian energy infrastructure throughout its three-year invasion, cutting power and heating to millions in what Kyiv has called a war crime.
“This winter, the enemy carried out a series of massive attacks on Ukrainian gas production infrastructure. The losses amounted to almost 50 percent of total production,” Shmygal said in a government meeting.
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“We are currently working to compensate for these losses, including through imports,” he added.
Ukraine has a relatively modest gas industry, producing around 19 billion cubic meters last year, compared to Russia’s output of around 685 billion cubic metres.
Many gas fields lie in the northeast of the country, parts of which have been under Russian occupation since the invasion began in February 2022.
Ukraine has attacked Russian oil and gas facilities in response to strikes on its energy industry, firing drones at refineries and curbing Moscow’s production capacity.
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a 30-day truce on energy targets on March 18 following a call with US President Donald Trump, but both Moscow and Kyiv accused each other of repeatedly breaking it.
The Kremlin said that moratorium expired earlier this month and there has been little progress since then.
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