Ukraine to Import 800 mcm of Gas to Keep Homes Warm

Ukraine plans to import up to 800 million cubic meters (mcm) of gas from Europe in February and March to offset a drop in domestic production, which has fallen by up to 40% due to Russian missile strikes.

Before the strikes, Ukraine produced about 52 mcm of gas per day, while winter consumption ranged between 110 and 140 mcm daily, with the gap covered by reserves.

Reuters, citing a senior industry source, reported that Russia has increasingly been targeting Ukraine’s gas infrastructure in recent strikes.

“We could do without imports this heating season, but the attacks on production are forcing us to import gas to compensate for this reduction in domestic production,” the unnamed source told Reuters.

Ukraine’s state-owned energy company Naftogaz and major private energy firm DTEK said Russian forces attacked and damaged their facilities at least twice in February. 

The operator of Ukraine’s gas transmission system said the country has increased imports significantly since early February, with daily volumes rising almost tenfold to more than 20 mcm. However, officials have not disclosed current production levels.

Despite low gas reserves, Ukraine is expected to get through the rest of the heating season without imposing restrictions on households or industry, the source told Reuters. However, the source said securing enough gas for the next winter will be a challenge.

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Ukraine aims to stockpile about 13 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas for the next heating season after starting the current one with 12.9 bcm in storage.

Looking beyond March, gas imports will depend on local production levels, which remain at risk due to continued Russian attacks, the source added. Ukraine’s key production facilities, located in the frontline Kharkiv region and neighboring Poltava, remain vulnerable to further Russian attacks.

Russia launched a large-scale overnight missile and drone attack on Ukraine, firing 14 missiles and 161 drones into multiple regions before the strikes continued into the morning of Feb. 20.

Air defense systems were active across the country, with explosions reported in the capital, where US President Donald Trump’s Special Representative for Ukraine and Russia, General Keith Kellogg, was on an official visit.

Among the targets hit were gas infrastructure facilities, according to Ukraine’s Minister of Energy, Herman Halushchenko.

“The goal of these criminal attacks is to halt gas production, which is essential for meeting household needs and centralized heating. All necessary measures are being taken to eliminate the consequences of the attacks and stabilize gas supplies,” Halushchenko said.

He condemned the strikes as deliberate attempts to harm civilians during winter: “These actions once again prove that Russia is deliberately trying to inflict suffering on ordinary Ukrainians, plunging them into [the] cold in the middle of winter. This is outright terrorism.”