Israel's strike on Iran's gas infrastructure is causing serious concern among European and Ukrainian energy experts. According to Andriy Kobolev, former chairman of the board of Naftogaz of Ukraine, these actions could significantly affect the natural gas market, provoking a jump in prices in both Europe and Ukraine.

Kobolev noted that Israel's drone attacks are already affecting key elements of the Iranian gas sector. Iran has traditionally supplied natural gas to Turkey, which in turn resold part of the volumes to EU countries. However, due to the fighting, Iranian production may be stopped, and Turkish pipelines are almost completely filled - replacing supplies with Russian gas is currently impossible.

If the Israeli attacks continue, Turkey may reduce its gas exports to the European Union or be forced to make up the shortfall with expensive liquefied natural gas (LNG). Both options will contribute to further price increases. In addition, according to Kobolev, some of the Russian gas may even be redirected to Iran in the future if the conflict escalates.

The situation on energy markets has already affected prices: oil has risen by more than 13% since the first reports of strikes on Iran. This is the most significant jump in recent months, which has increased concerns about the instability of energy supplies on a global scale.

Meanwhile, Ukraine is preparing for a difficult winter: due to massive Russian attacks on critical infrastructure, natural gas reserves are rapidly depleting. As of June 6, Ukraine's underground storage facilities had accumulated over 7 billion cubic meters, which is only 22.6% of the total storage capacity — the lowest level in the last 11 years.

According to forecasts, by the end of the 2025/2026 heating season, Ukraine will need about 5 billion cubic meters of imported gas. This is five times more than the maximum volumes imported previously. Naftogaz assures that the situation is still under control: 1.5 billion cubic meters have already been contracted, and a total of up to 4.5 billion cubic meters are planned to be imported by winter.

In the context of the worsening international situation, Ukraine is once again facing the challenge of energy security. The global conflict context only reinforces the importance of preparing for winter and finding alternative sources of energy supply.