Energy Security of the European Union and Ukraine Since the 2022 Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine

Energy security is one of key components of economic growth and sustainable development. During the last decades, the European Union (EU) has made significant efforts to transition its energy sector towards a sustainable, renewables-based, and climate-neutral model. However, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and the subsequent energy crisis throughout Europe revealed a significant dependence of Europe on Russian energy resources. The EU’s current strategy on complete replacement of Russian energy supplies and accelerating implementation of renewable sources of energy is challenging now but crucial for Europe’s long-term energy security. National energy security is just one of many challenges facing Ukraine. National integrity and determination along with strong international support are key elements for both Ukraine’s survival and post-war sustainable recovery, including energy sustainability. Following the EU’s strategy, Ukraine urgently needs to transform its energy sector in a sustainable manner. Among other approaches, the country should significantly rely on renewables, including biogas and biomethane production, along with radical improvements in national energy efficiency. In this article, we analyze the challenges of energy security for the European Union and Ukraine due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and effective strategies, which may be applied.