G7+ group holds emergency meeting in response to Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure
The G7+ group convened an emergency meeting on Oct. 4 in response to Russia's intensifying attacks on Ukraine's oil and gas facilities heading into the colder season, the Energy Ministry reported.
The G7+ energy coordination group in Ukraine was established in November 2022, to facilitate support for Kyiv's energy infrastructure in the face of Russian attacks in the first year of the full-scale war.
Representatives of over 100 nations and international organizations attended the Oct. 4 meeting, the Energy Ministry said. Participants included the U.S., Canada, Germany, France, the European Commission, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), among others.
The urgent meeting followed a large-scale Russian attack overnight on Oct. 3 that took heavy aim at Ukraine's oil and gas infrastructure. Serhii Koretskyi, CEO of Naftogaz (Ukraine's largest state oil and gas company) said the strike marked Russia's "largest mass attack on our gas mining infrastructure since the beginning of the full-scale war."
Deputy Energy Minister Roman Andarak informed G7+ partners about the scale and consequences of the overnight attack and priority needs for repairing damaged facilities.
"The Russians have not abandoned their intentions to plunge Ukraine into darkness on the eve of the new heating season," Andarak said.
Kyiv's most critical needs are air defense systems, purchases of additional gas volumes, and equipment for restoration and repairs, according to Andarak. G7+ representatives reportedly pledged to continue providing energy support to Ukraine and to hold another meeting in the near future to coordinate those efforts.
Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukraine's power grid, gas facilities, and heating systems ahead of winter, aiming to disrupt, degrade, and demoralize civilian life. Last year, sustained strikes left entire cities without heat during freezing months.
Bloomberg reported on Sept. 20, citing sources close to the Kremlin, that Russian President Vladimir Putin intends to continue targeting Ukraine's energy network this winter as part of a broader escalation meant to pressure Kyiv into peace talks.
