ASSESSMENTS

Ukraine Faces Harshest Winter Yet Amid Intensified Russian Attacks on Energy Infrastructure

Sep 16, 2024 | 16:09 GMT

A man looks at the road blocked by striped tape on December 13, 2023, in Kyiv, Ukraine, following two nights of ballistic missile attacks on the city.
A man looks at the road blocked by striped tape on December 13, 2023, in Kyiv, Ukraine, following two nights of ballistic missile attacks on the city.

(Valentyna Polishchuk/Global Images Ukraine)

Ukraine will likely experience its worst post-invasion winter yet amid Russia's intensifying air bombing campaign against Ukraine's energy infrastructure, prompting more Ukrainians to flee the country, which could in turn weaken Ukraine's battlefield position in the long run by exacerbating its manpower shortage in 2025 and beyond. At a press conference on Sept. 10, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal warned this coming winter could be "the most difficult" compared with the previous three winters Ukraine has experienced since Russia's February 2022 invasion, noting that sustaining energy supplies "is one of our biggest challenges." He emphasized that the government is taking active measures and building resilience to secure heating for homes that may no longer be able to rely on the electricity grid. He highlighted using domestic natural gas -- of which Naftogaz reported production up 7% compared with last year to 8.6 billion cubic meters -- to fuel industrial mobile...

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