In half a year, Russia damaged or destroyed over 300 gas stations in Ukraine

More than 300 gas stations in Ukraine have been damaged or completely destroyed as a result of Russian attacks just in the last six months. The government calls gas stations de facto critical infrastructure and is seeking a mechanism to insure businesses against war risks.

This was stated by Minister of Energy Denys Shmyhal on August 21 during the hour of questions to the government in the Verkhovna Rada.

According to the minister, Russian strikes on the fuel retail infrastructure have reached a significant scale. The authorities maintain regular contact with the largest market operators, as the operation of the networks is crucial for providing fuel to both the population and the economy.

“More than three hundred gas stations have been hit or destroyed in the last literally half a year. This is, of course, a weighty loss for our economy,” — said Shmyhal.

The minister emphasized that gas stations today de facto serve as critical infrastructure. Therefore, the issues of their operation and restoration are addressed along with the broader task of ensuring the resilience of Ukraine’s energy complex.

Shmyhal added that Russian attacks have caused particularly severe damage to the power sector. Meanwhile, the state helps to restore not only state-owned facilities: support can be provided to enterprises of various forms of ownership if they are classified as critical infrastructure.

For the restoration and protection of energy facilities, Ukraine uses, in particular, the resources of the Energy Support Fund. According to Shmyhal, the total resource allocated for the protection, restoration, and support of the energy business is estimated at about 5 billion euros.

A separate budget program for direct compensation of damage to electricity enterprises is not planned by the government so far. Instead, other support mechanisms are being considered.

In particular, the Ministry of Finance, together with business, is working on the possibility of insuring war risks and creating a corresponding fund. Such a mechanism should help enterprises receive compensation or financing to restore facilities damaged by Russian attacks.

Shmyhal noted that the government is in a weekly coordinated dialogue with representatives of gas station chains. At the same time, the minister did not report a systemic fuel shortage related to the damage of more than 300 filling stations.