Authors

Discussion

The energy component is one of the most noticeable in the hybrid aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine. The tension in bilateral relations in the energy field began immediately after the declaration of Ukraine’s independence. In different historical periods, it had various manifestations ‒ from the use of energy resources by the Russian Federation as a lever of political and economic pressure to achieve strategic goals to the purposeful destruction of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. The study examines the chronology of Russian hybrid aggression’s impact on Ukraine’s energy sector during 1991-2023. It sheds light on four main aspects: the Russian-Ukrainian gas conflicts, the energy consequences of the annexation of the Crimean Peninsula, the loss of energy assets as a result of the partial occupation of Luhansk and Donetsk regions in 2014, and the impact of the full-scale Russian military intervention in 2022 on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. In the context of the Russian-Ukrainian gas conflicts, the issues of using gas as a blackmail tool by Russia to reach goals related to the division of the Black Sea Fleet and the continuation of its basing on the Crimean Peninsula are considered. Special attention is paid to the large-scale deployment of gas pipelines bypassing the territory of Ukraine to reduce its potential as a transit country. In terms of the energy consequences of the annexation of the Crimean Peninsula, the issues of loss of renewable energy facilities, the sea shelf area of the Black and Azov Seas with promising hydrocarbon deposits, and integration of the energy system of Crimea into the energy system of the Russian Federation are raised. Research on the impact of the partial occupation of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in 2014 on the energy sector focuses on the consequences of the loss of part of the largest coal basin of Ukraine, particularly all coal enterprises mined anthracite. A study of the effects of the full-scale Russian military invasion in 2022 highlights the targeted massive destruction and occupation of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. Large-scale energy losses due to Russian aggression raise questions regarding the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine’s energy sector with a focus on low-carbon energy technologies. Accelerating energy sector transformation will require overcoming a number of barriers by implementing relevant policy measures.