Ukraine Will Import Gas During the Peak of the Heating Season — Naftogaz

Serhiy Fedorenko, acting chairman of the board of Naftogaz, announced that Ukraine plans to import gas during the winter. The largest volumes of purchases are expected at the peak of the heating season—in early 2027. According to the company’s head, the most challenging period will be the first quarter of next year.

According to Fedorenko, it is precisely during this period that Russian attacks on gas infrastructure may intensify.

“We will be importing gas at the peak of the season. The ‘toughest battle,’ let’s call it that, will be in the first quarter of 2027. After all, last year there were massive attacks on gas production across all of Ukraine in February, when our production dropped by about 50% overnight. And we are preparing for similar and worst-case scenarios,” Fedorenko said.

Overall, according to Fedorenko, Ukraine currently has the largest gas reserves in its storage facilities in the last six years. However, in addition to this, the company continues to protect the storage facilities, acquire additional equipment, and prepare routes for gas exports.

“We are ready for a difficult confrontation. We don’t expect it to be easy. That’s why we’ve gathered all the necessary resources,” Fedorenko added.

The head of Naftogaz also noted that Russia’s main objective for this winter—even if Ukraine has gas—is to prevent it from reaching homes and apartments. The company is aware of these risks and is preparing accordingly. However, Fedorenko adds that businesses and households must also consider alternatives in the event of a gas shortage.

“Russia wants to fragment the gas supply network. Therefore, the response to such challenges lies in the multi-energy approach of businesses and private consumers… That’s why we need to have several options for how to power our enterprises with some form of energy,” Fedorenko added.

Fedorenko spoke about this at the Kyiv International Economic Forum, according to a Suspilne correspondent.

As a reminder, Naftogaz has prepared 24 scenarios for winter operations, taking into account potential attacks by Russia.

The Russians attacked a Naftogaz gas production facility in the Kharkiv region.

Over the course of three days, the Russians attacked energy and oil and gas infrastructure about 60 times.

Prior to that, Russia had attacked Naftogaz’s gas production infrastructure in the Poltava region overnight.