Ukraine Starts Building Gas Reserves for Winter as Russian Strikes Hurt Output, Data Shows

Ukraine starts building gas reserves for winter as Russian strikes hurt output, data shows

Ukraine's Gas Reserves and Energy Security Amid Russian Attacks

By Pavel Polityuk

Impact of Russian Strikes on Ukraine's Gas Infrastructure

KYIV, March 19 (Reuters) - Ukraine, forced to boost gas imports after Russia damaged its gas production infrastructure, has begun storing gas in its underground facilities in preparation for the next heating season, European AGSI data showed on Thursday.

Since last autumn, Russia has been attacking the Ukrainian power grid nearly daily, targeting both power stations and gas fields, most of which are located in frontline regions.

Loss of Domestic Gas Output

Before the war with Russia, Ukraine met almost all of its gas needs through domestic production. But Russian strikes have meant that Ukraine has lost about half its gas output, the central bank governor said late last year.

Recent Gas Reserve Activity

AGSI data, based on information from state-run Ukrtransgaz, showed that Ukraine began building gas reserves regularly over the weekend, injecting an average of around 130 gigawatt-hours per day.

Gas Imports and Storage Levels

Sources of Gas Imports

The Ukrainian gas transmission operator said the country planned to receive 25.2 million cubic meters (mcm) of gas on Thursday, including 10.2 mcm from Poland and 8.4 mcm from Hungary. Ukraine imported 26.1 mcm of gas on Wednesday.

Current Storage Status

UNDERGROUND STORAGE 16% FULL SO FAR

Ukraine's underground storage facilities, among the largest in Europe, were nearly 16% full as of March 17, the data showed.

Future Storage Plans

Earlier this month, energy minister Denys Shmyhal said that Ukraine intends to start the 2026–2027 heating season with at least 13 billion cubic metres of gas in its underground storage facilities – roughly the same volume as in the previous season.

Gas Import Strategies and Consumption Trends

Import Strategies

Since the start of the war with Russia, Ukraine has not disclosed full details of its gas imports.

The government has previously said it intended to import pipeline gas and increase imports of American liquefied natural gas this year.

Consumption Statistics

Consultancy DiXi Group said on Thursday that Ukraine had cut gas consumption last year by 4% to 21 billion cubic meters (bcm), and residents made up 36% of consumption, or 7.6 bcm.

Industries consumed 5 bcm of gas in 2025, heating producers 3.9 bcm, municipal and budget bodies consumed 2.5 bcm and losses totalled 2 bcm, the consultancy said.

Ukraine's gas consumption totalled 30.3 bcm before the war in 2021 but that sank to 20.3 bcm in 2022.

(Reporting by Pavel Polityuk; Editing by Bernadette Baum)