For the head of Naftogaz, one of Ukraine’s largest state-owned companies, fresh Russian attacks on the country’s energy infrastructure are virtually guaranteed as its military mounts a counteroffensive ahead of the cold winter months.
(Bloomberg) — For the head of Naftogaz, one of Ukraine’s largest state-owned companies, fresh Russian attacks on the country’s energy infrastructure are virtually guaranteed as its military mounts a counteroffensive ahead of the cold winter months.
“Many things will depend on the way the infrastructure will be attacked,” Oleksiy Chernyshov said in an interview Friday in Washington. “We try to do everything we can in order to make the energy and heating supply sustainable, protecting some physical assets with physical means. But this kind of protection can never guarantee an overall shield.”
Chernyshov, who was named CEO in November 2022, said he met with members of Congress and Biden administration officials during a three-day visit to Washington to lobby for weapons to beef up Ukraine’s air defenses, including with additional Patriot batteries and F-16 fighter jets.
“You can hardly protect an asset from a ballistic missile attack,” he said. “That is why it is crucially important for Ukraine to increase its capabilities in air defense. We definitely require more Patriots.”
Russia’s attacks could interrupt the flow of gas through the country’s pipelines to Europe, a vital lifeline for the continent, or throttle supplies in the country as Naftogaz and its employees are working to have 14.7 billion cubic meters of gas into underground storage, Chernyshov said.
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