The European Union (EU) will allocate €160 million to Ukraine to support Ukraineʼs energy security ahead of winter. Part of the amount will be provided from frozen Russian assets.
This was reported by the head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen during a joint press conference with the executive director of the International Energy Agency Fatih Birol in Brussels.
EUR 60 million will be allocated to support shelters and heaters, another EUR 100 million from Russian assets frozen in Europe — for repair and restoration of energy sources. The head of the EC said that she considers it fair, because Russia must "pay for what was destroyed."
According to Ursula von der Leyen, Ukraine needs 17 gigawatts of power this year. The EU allocates financial assistance to meet the needs of Ukrainians and make the Ukrainian energy system more sustainable in the long term.
Since the start of the full-scale invasion, Ukraine has received at least €2 billion in support for energy security.
Attacks of the Russian Federation on the energy industry
Russia resumed massive attacks on Ukrainian energy this spring. Mass strikes on energy facilities in Ukraine are regular. The last one was on August 26, when Russia attacked energy infrastructure in 15 regions. Since March 22, the Russians have already destroyed more than 9 GW — half of the peak electricity consumption in winter.
- The United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (UNHRM) reported that this winter, a deficit in the energy system may lead to power outages from 4 to 18 hours a day.