According to sources, the General Directorate of Intelligence (GUR) warns that Russia is preparing to continue attacks on gas transportation infrastructures. A dangerous scenario is considered to be the expansion of attacks to the distribution network through which gas is supplied directly to cities, residential buildings and boiler houses.
The situation in the Donetsk region has already demonstrated the consequences of such tactics. After a main gas pipeline was damaged on November 9, the gas supply to three gas distribution stations was cut off. 55,000 customers in 12 settlements, including boiler houses in Kramatorsk, remained without gas. In the Chernihiv region, after the October strike on the gas pipeline in Priluki, more than 18,000 customers were left without gas. In November, damage to the gas infrastructure was also recorded in the Cherkasy region. The main threat is that the destruction of individual parts of the gas supply network could leave entire settlements without heating, even with sufficient gas reserves in storage. Restoring the distribution networks requires not only repairs but also safety tests before resupplying gas to consumers. For Ukraine, this poses an additional challenge, given disruptions in the power generation system. With both electricity and gas shortages, the ability to compensate for outages is sharply reduced. Without a power outage, the winter crisis could extend beyond normal power outage schedules and escalate into a full-scale utility crisis.