According to a resolution published on the country’s Cabinet of Ministers website, the government of Ukraine has agreed to suspend exports of the country’s gas, coal, and liquid fuel.
The cabinet said the move was related to “the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine and the imposition of martial law in Ukraine.”
The banned items include Ukrainian liquid fuel, natural gas, coal, anthracite, briquettes, pellets, and similar solid fuels made from coal, except coking coal. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy previously cautioned there could be a coal and gas export embargo.
“Due to the war, it will indeed be the most difficult winter during all years of independence … During this period, we won’t sell our gas and coal abroad. All domestic production will focus on meeting the internal demand,” Zelenskyy said in a video published on his Telegram social media channel, the Russian-owned TASS news agency reported.
Prime Minister Denis Shmygal said coal production in Ukrainian mines has fallen by a third since Russia invaded in February. Ukraine’s state-run Naftogaz has been given the job of accumulating at least 19 billion cubic meters of gas in underground storage facilities.
TASS reported that Shmygal asked citizens to “brace for Ukraine’s most difficult heating season ever.”
Ukraine had 9 billion cubic meters of stored gas following the last heating season. The total gas in storage stands at only 10 billion cubic meters as of June 1.
The following heating season starts on October 15. Data from S&P Global shows current gas stocks are 7.5 percent above the 2014–2018 average. Ukraine began last year’s heating season with 18.87 billion cubic meters of gas reserves on October 5.
Germany, the Netherlands, and Italy were among the most significant oil importers. The largest importers of pipeline gas include Italy and Germany. France, Spain, and Belgium are the largest importers of Russian liquified natural gas. The Netherlands is one of the largest importers of coal.