Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, attacks on energy infrastructure have become part of the Kremlin’s strategy to undermine the economy and morale of the Ukrainian people. These strikes against key energy generation and transmission facilities not only disrupt the lives of millions of Ukrainians, but also violate international humanitarian norms. Many of Ukraine’s regions targeted by such Russia’s attacks. According to world leaders and international organizations, they are aimed at destroying infrastructure without a concrete military advantage. These actions are deliberate violations of international humanitarian law, including the principles of distinction and proportionality, to protect civilians from unjustified harm.
Russia’s strategy of destroying energy infrastructure has been taking place since the fall of 2022. Since October, massive attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities have begun with cruise missiles, drones, and cluster munitions. One of the largest attacks was on March 22, 2024, when Russia fired around 150 different munitions, making it one of the largest attacks on Ukraine’s energy sector to date. Such attacks damaged or destroyed the Dniester, Kaniv, and Kakhovka HPPs, causing major power outages in the affected regions. Russian strikes on the energy sector are still ongoing!
Almost 80 % of Ukraine’s thermal generation was destroyed, putting enormous pressure on restoring and supporting the energy system in the winter months. The peak energy consumption in Ukraine during the winter period was 18 GW, while Russia have already destroyed 9.2 GW of capacity. In addition, more than 800 heating facilities were destroyed or damaged.
Amid this destruction, the international community has joined efforts to restore Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. Over the past two years, allies have contributed more than 4 billion US dollars to restore the energy system. These funds will be critical to Ukraine’s preparation for the coming winter months, the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken noted. Countries such as the US, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark and others play an important role in this. Finland, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Austria, Sweden and Norway are also providing both financial and technical assistance.
Russian bombings have collapsed Ukraine’s energy sector. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the coming winter could be the most difficult in three years of invasion. The IEA called on the West to increase assistance to restore critical infrastructure in Ukraine. In response, the European Union promised to allocate 100 million euros from the seized Russian assets, which was a significant step in supporting Ukraine’s energy system. The potential of expanded use of these assets to accelerate the restoration of destroyed facilities and to prepare the country for the winter is also being discussed.
Ukraine is actively preparing for the second Peace Summit, which will become an important platform for discussing global security, including energy. One of the key issues at the Summit is ensuring energy security for Ukraine and Europe in the context of Russia’s ongoing attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure.
The first special conference on energy and nuclear safety has already been held, which underlines the importance of these topics for the upcoming summit. One important aspect is Ukraine’s offer to its international partners to use its vast underground gas storage facilities, which can hold up to 30 billion cubic meters of gas. This could be a powerful tool for ensuring Europe’s energy security, especially in the context of Russia’s efforts to increase pressure on European gas markets. Such steps would also allow Ukraine to maintain electricity exports to Europe despite Russia’s attacks and strengthen its own energy system.
Continuing and strengthening international support is essential for Ukraine and the world, as the security and European economy of Europe and other regions depends on the stability of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. Financial assistance, technical equipment, long-range weapons to hit military targets in Russia could help to protect both Ukrainian and European infrastructure. Attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities can cause a humanitarian catastrophe and the disruption of supplies to Europe, requiring immediate action by the global community to prevent further crises.