With each attack by the Kremlin on Ukraine’s energy system costing about $2B, what are the risks for Ukraine’s GTS?

Each missile attack on Ukraine’s energy system costs Russia up to $2B, and by continuing the transit of Russian gas, Ukraine helped the aggressor to earn money for these attacks, said Serhiy Makogon, the former head of the Ukrainian GTS operator. He recalled that the aggressor country earned $6.5B annually from supplying gas to the EU through Ukrainian territory.

According to him, Russia tried to destroy the Ukrainian gas transportation system with six waves of attacks that targeted storage facilities. However, it is quite difficult to destroy the GTS, and any damage to the pipe can be repaired within a few days.

“Our system was inherited from the Soviet Union and was designed for capacities 40 times greater than those currently used. If there are any disruptions, we can look for alternative routes, create duplicate gas pipelines, etc. It is not so easy to destroy a system that was built taking into account a major war between the Soviet Union and NATO,” Makogon noted.