Zelenskyy held a Supreme Commander-in-Chief meeting focused on frontline energy security

Zelenskyy held a meeting with the Cabinet of Ministers: focus on energy and infrastructure protection. Illustrative photo: Photo: Oleksiy Kuleba

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a regular meeting of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief's Staff, with the main topic being Ukraine's energy security, especially in the border and frontline areas.

The Head of State announced this on social media.

«First of all, the situation in the regions and communities. The difficulties in the border and frontline areas are understandable. The closer the positions of the Russian army, the more significant the challenges. We are preparing a full range of responses, including scaling up our long-range responses to Russian terror against Ukrainian infrastructure,» the President noted.

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The President heard reports on the recovery from Russian strikes and discussed the expansion of energy equipment reserves.

«We also determined the parameters for expanding our reserves. In particular, this concerns equipment. There are specific areas of communication with partners in Europe who can support us with the necessary range of energy equipment. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine should be more active,» Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

We also discussed the gas sector, including preparations for the heating season, accumulation of gas reserves and repair works.

«The sources of funding for the purchase of the required volume of gas have been clearly identified, and a significant part of the generation of funds has already been secured. This work is ongoing,» the President noted.

Energy situation in Ukraine

The Cabinet of Ministers has established the Coordination Headquarters for Energy Protection, a control centre that will unite the work of all agencies responsible for energy, transport, water, heat and communications.

As a reminder, on the night of 3 October, the Russian army carried out the most powerful attack on the gas production facilities of Naftogaz of Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.

A few days later, Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko said that Russia's massive attack on the night of 10 October was one of the largest concentrated strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities. The shelling caused significant damage to energy infrastructure in several regions of the country.

Earlier, Bloomberg reported that Russian strikes had destroyed 60% of Ukraine's gas production before the winter. If the shelling continues, Ukraine may be forced to import about 4.4 billion cubic metres of gas by the end of March 2026.

Ukraine's Energy Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk has already said that due to the shelling of energy infrastructure, Ukraine will increase gas imports by 30%. At the same time, the government extended the fixed gas price for Ukrainians for another year.

Later, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas said during a joint press conference with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha that the Union plans to provide Ukraine with another €100 million in aid to prepare for the winter period.

As a reminder, Mykolaiv is also preparing for the heating season, taking into account possible attacks on its energy and gas transmission infrastructure. Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych urged the townspeople to be prepared for the most difficult scenarios, as Russian attacks on the energy system could be repeated. Read more about this in the article NikVesti: «This winter may be more difficult»: How Mykolaiv is preparing for the heating season».