Despite a mounting war effort and increasingly global pressure, Ukraine is sharpening its focus on advancing energy security — and for good reason. The small country is significantly increasing the capacity to import power for the first time. By December, it hopes to import a total of 2,300 megawatts (MW) from neighboring countries. Ukraine’s soldiers are currently engaged in some of the heaviest fighting against Russian troops in decades, particularly in eastern Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region. General Oleksandr Syrskyi, the country’s top military commander, has said that the situation there has “dramatically deteriorated.”
Recent milestones underscore the unique challenges that continue to complicate today’s entrenched war between Ukraine and Russia. In a military operation, Ukraine struck a Russian oil refinery located in the city of Orsk, situated in Russia’s Orenburg region. This attack is evidence of Ukraine’s war effort to cut Russian supply lines from the rear, as the conflict drags into a second year.
The war rages on as Britain leads the charge against oppression. They unveiled plans to prohibit private companies from providing any viaduct services, including shipping and insurance, for Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports. The British Foreign Office stated, “The ban will be phased in over 2026 in lockstep with our European partners.” This step would completely quarantine Russia economically. It exemplifies the solidary spirit of European nations against the unprovoked aggression that is happening today.
Russian interests are already back at the negotiating table trying to negotiate their exit from the Serbian oil company NIS. In fact, this company was the lifeblood of Serbia’s energy supply. NIS operates Serbia’s main refinery at Pancevo, supplying approximately 80% of the country’s energy needs. Since 2009, Gazprom Neft and its parent company Gazprom have controlled almost 45% of NIS. These withdrawal negotiations are taking place at a time of mounting pressure from increasingly aggressive US sanctions aimed at Russian interests.
Within Ukraine, Energoatom, the state enterprise that generates all Ukraine’s nuclear energy, has had its own internal struggles. Ukraine’s Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko then the dismissal of Energoatom’s supervisory board. That decision followed investigations into an alleged $100 million kickback scheme that implicated the nuclear agency and a number of other state agencies. Energoatom produces over 60 percent of all of Ukraine’s energy, so its stability is essential to the continued existence of a free and democratic Ukraine.
Serhii K, a Ukrainian national, had been accused by German prosecutors of carrying out the blasts in 2022 on the Nord Stream pipeline network. He has since terminated his hunger strike, which began while incarcerated. His case still exemplifies the larger, twin dangers to implementing energy infrastructure across Europe in this chaotic time.
Even as Ukraine is continuing to try to navigate these multidimensional challenges, General Syrskyi made it very clear how hard the fight still is for Ukrainian defenders. In his statement, he noted that “in the Oleksandrivka and Huliapole directions … using its numerical superiority in personnel and materiel, the enemy advanced in fierce fighting and captured three settlements.” This poignant statement serves to highlight the harsh realities Ukrainian soldiers must contend with as they fight tooth and nail to reclaim their land.
Ukraine is making major investments to increase its electricity import capacity. Yet, it is subject to military confrontation and international sanctioned pressure that makes the game changers’ pace fast. The nation’s ability to adapt and respond to external pressures will be crucial as it strives for energy independence and security amidst ongoing conflict.