KYIV (Reuters) – Ukraine imposed emergency power restrictions on Tuesday after overnight and morning attacks by Russia on gas infrastructure, said Ukraine Energy Minister German Galushchenko.
“The enemy launched an attack on gas infrastructure overnight,” Galushchenko said in a post on social media. “As of this morning, the energy sector continues to be under attack.”
Galushchenko gave no more details, while Poltava regional military administration said that as a result of missile strikes, nine settlements in Myrhorod district were left without gas supply.
Russia which previously focused its missile and drone attacks on the Ukrainian electricity sector, has in recent months sharply stepped up its attacks on the Ukrainian gas storage facilities and production fields.
Ukraine’s underground gas storage facilities are located in the western part of the country, while the main Ukrainian gas production capacities are located in the east of the country in the frontline Kharkiv region, as well as in the Poltava region.
Ukraine’s state-run operator of the gas transmission system said on Tuesday the country would likely increase natural gas imports to more than 16.7 million cubic metres (mcm) on Tuesday from 16.3 mcm on Monday.
Ukraine consumes 110-140 mcm of gas a day in winter.
Both the drop in gas production and difficulties with fuel extraction from emptied underground storage facilities may force Kyiv to increase the volume of imports.
The operator data suggested Ukraine would import 7.6 mcm of gas from Hungary, 7.3 mcm from Slovakia and 1.8 mcm from Poland.
Ukraine began sharply increasing its gas imports last week after a series of Russian missile attacks in recent months targeted Ukrainian gas sector facilities.
(Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne and Pavel Polityuk in Kyiv; Editing by Tom Hogue and Michadel Perry)
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