Ukraine: Energy in the Spotlight

Online seminar series

2pm (BST) 7 April  – 5 May 

The latest outbreak of war in Ukraine has brought into sharp relief globally significant questions about not only national security, human rights and individual safety, but also energy and the ethics surrounding how we source, move, use and safeguard energy resources.  

With a deep history of oil, gas and coal production, as well as nuclear power, Ukraine has long been involved in transnational and geopolitical energy conflicts. In recent decades, major disputes between Russia and Ukraine have concerned the transit of gas from Russia through Ukraine, Russian support for separatism in Ukraine’s coal-producing regions, and the ongoing annexation of Crimea, which hosts extensive offshore gas resources. Ukraine was at the cusp of disconnecting its electricity grid from Russia and synchronising with the European network when it was invaded on 24 February 2022. During the early weeks of the invasion, Russia prioritised actions to seize control of major energy infrastructure. Bombardments of nuclear facilities took place, threatening disaster, while power plants were seized or taken offline. As the war has escalated, calls have grown for global sanctions on Russian oil, gas and other resources. In a world where concerns about energy security and vocal desires for greater energy independence are rife, issues of energy could not be more integral to this war. 

Joined by Ukrainian experts and special guests from and beyond the region, this 5-part seminar series, presented in conjunction with the CRSCEES, will delve into the everyday energy realities faced by Ukrainians, the new ethical dimensions of energy that have emerged from the war, and the transregional implications for energy futures in Ukraine and worldwide.