More than 300 gas stations in Ukraine have been damaged or destroyed by shelling, says Shmyhal
Over the past six months, more than 300 gas stations in Ukraine have been damaged or completely destroyed as a result of Russian shelling. According to Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal, this has caused significant damage to the Ukrainian economy.
The minister noted that gas stations have effectively become critical infrastructure, as they supply fuel to both the economy and the population.
Due to the regular attacks, the government holds weekly coordination meetings with representatives of fuel retail chains to ensure the sector’s stable operation.
“More than three hundred gas stations have been damaged or destroyed in literally the last six months. This, of course, represents significant losses for our economy. The electric power sector has suffered very significantly overall,” Shmyhal emphasized.
According to the minister, the Ministry of Finance, together with business representatives, is working on a mechanism to insure damaged facilities and establish a corresponding fund.
At the same time, there are currently no plans to create a separate line item in the state budget specifically to compensate for losses in the electric power sector.
Shmyhal noted that the resilience plans provide for the financing of critical infrastructure facilities regardless of their form of ownership.
The state is helping to restore not only state-owned enterprises but also private companies that own critical infrastructure facilities.
To this end, funds from the Energy Support Fund are being used, among other sources.
“Therefore, this massive resource—well, actually, in the range of 5 billion euros, as was stated at the beginning of the year—is now being directed toward protection, restoration, and, accordingly, support for the energy sector,” Shmyhal said.
Thus, the government plans to simultaneously protect energy facilities, restore damaged infrastructure, and support the operations of the private energy sector.
Shmyhal made this statement during question time with the government in the Verkhovna Rada.
Prior to this, First Deputy Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and briefed him on the state of Ukraine’s energy system ahead of the winter season. He outlined the key needs that international partners should help address.
Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal stated on August 21 that Ukraine is not currently implementing planned power outages, and the power grid is operating stably. At the same time, the situation may change depending on the intensity of Russian attacks on energy facilities.
