Russia strikes Ukraine's gas sector as Zelenskyy readies for US

Aliaksandr Kudrytski, Bloomberg News on Oct 16, 2025

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Russia attacked Ukraine’s natural-gas infrastructure overnight, dealing a fresh blow to output as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy prepares for talks in Washington.

The Ukrainian leader is set to visit the U.S. capital after Moscow ramped up strikes against his country’s energy facilities, knocking out nearly 60% of gas production this month. Apart from holding talks with President Donald Trump, Zelenskyy is expected to meet with U.S. energy companies and producers of weapons and air defense systems.

Ukraine’s biggest private power producer DTEK halted gas extraction in the central Poltava region due to damage from a barrage of Russian drones and missiles, the company said in a Telegram post Thursday. State-owned energy company Naftogaz Group said a number of critical facilities had halted operations, while four employees were injured.

Zelenskyy warned that Russia would intensify its attacks on Ukraine’s energy systems this fall, urging allies to pressure Moscow with sanctions and by boosting Ukraine’s long-range strike capabilities.

“That is exactly what I will be discussing today and tomorrow in Washington,” Zelenskyy said Thursday in a post on social media platform X.

European gas prices opened higher following the overnight attack, suggesting concern in the market as the heating season gets under way. Prospects of higher gas imports from the European Union to Ukraine already caused a brief price rally in European gas following the Russian strikes this month.

Europe has entered the cold season with gas inventories lower than historic norms, keeping traders on high alert. That’s in part because the continent now sources much of its fuel from a wider range of global suppliers after Russia slashed pipeline flows following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

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—With assistance from Elena Mazneva and Priscila Azevedo Rocha.