As the Ukrainian army advanced on the frontlines in early October, the Russian Army began a coordinated bombardment against the country’s energy infrastructure, with the goal of both destabilizing the invaded country’s internal situation and preventing any form of energy cooperation with Europe.
As a result, “The impact of the Russian attacks on the Ukrainian energy sector” examines Ukraine’s energy capacities prior to the Russian invasion. Ukraine has historically been viewed as a Russian gas access point to Europe, with Europe disregarding its enormous energy potential, particularly in the gas and nuclear energy sectors. Even before the targeted Russian bombings in October, Ukraine had the potential to alleviate Europe’s energy crisis, and in a post-war reconstruction scenario, Ukraine could become a pillar in Europe’s energy security.
The article then moves on to a timeline of Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure, a damage assessment of each attack, and the subsequent declarations of each side. These attacks reached a new high on November 15th, when over a hundred missiles were launched against 11 different Ukrainian regions. These targeted shellings have also resulted in collateral damage, whether it’s the rockets that landed in a Polish border village, killing two Poles, or the Republic of Moldova’s energy infrastructure challenges. Thus, the third section delves deeper into the latter subject, as Moldova’s pro-European government is under fire both from Gazprom and internally, through Kremlin-orchestrated protests, in the context of rising energy prices and power outages.
These new challenges posed by Russia to energy infrastructure force Europe to find new solutions for their allies, ranging from aid packages for the affected population as winter approaches to providing more anti-missile systems.
Special Collection – The Middle East