Gas at gunpoint: can gas objects be targets for enemy attacks?

Terrorist attacks of the RF Armed Forces focus on Ukraine’s energy facilities. But we are talking about electricity, not gas. While gas facilities have already been hit, so far we are not talking about the targeted destruction of the country’s gas networks. writes about it Focus In the article “Without electricity, but with heat. How much gas is in the tank and how Ukraine can survive the heating season.”

“The Russians attacked the eastern regions, where we produce a large amount of gas, but we do not have a big problem with the gas supply. They seem to be focused on energy infrastructure. they won’t be enough [снарядов, — ред.] hit both gas and electricity infrastructure. “I think the situation with gas will be better than electricity,” he said. Focus Vladimir Omelchenko, director of energy programs at the Razumkov Center. The expert does not rule out that missile attacks against Ukraine’s gas infrastructure are possible.

According to Alexander Kharchenko, director of the Center for Energy Studies, the absence of large-scale Russian attacks on gas distribution stations may be due in part to the fact that the Ukrainian gas transport system was built in Soviet times with the possibility of hostilities in mind. Doing serious harm is no easy task.

“Possible. But this is much more difficult than damaging electrical installations. And the gas transmission system can be restored quite quickly: the Ukrainian system is built in such a way that any section can be quickly isolated and then quickly replaced by a pipe section.“, – says Alexander Kharchenko. And he adds: so far there are no clear prerequisites indicating that the GTS was deliberately damaged by the enemy.

“So far everything is fine with gas. I would even be happy if they switch to gas because it’s harder to damage there and they certainly don’t have enough missiles and we see that in the bomber dynamics,” the expert notes.

Although there were no large-scale attacks on gas networks, attacks on important gas installations continued in the fall of 2022. We are talking about the hit of a Russian missile on November 17 at one of the gas production facilities of the Ukrgazvydobuvannya company, which is part of the Naftogaz group. However, the damage there did not have a serious effect on the gas pumping rate.

“The compressor station was damaged there, but not critically damaged. More damage was done to our gas production at the front or where the occupation was, there is more damage.. This time, the operational capacity of the system was quickly restored.”

As he reported FocusAccording to NPC Ukrenergo, on December 6, the Russians again set fire to some power plants on the territory of Ukraine, a difficult situation with electricity supply continues in the east of the country.

Recall that in Ukraine there is a shortage of production, but minimal, and further difficulties arise due to the lack of electricity transport through the grids, as they are damaged by the attacks of the Russian Armed Forces.

As previously written Focus, water supply, heating and sewer systems are connected with electricity – technologies aimed at providing citizens with these civilizational benefits only work if there is a power source. If the pumps are not flooded for a long time in cold weather, serious accidents may occur on the highways.

It was previously reported that one of DTEK’s energy ventures was halted after the Russian Armed Forces carried out another massive bombardment of Ukrainian infrastructure facilities.