"It is the government's estimate that at the start of the next heating season, we must have gas reserves of 17 bcm in underground storage facilities and we are already approaching 18 bcm" Vitrenko said.

Ukraine produces 65% of the gas it consumes and imports the rest from Europe. Since 2015, the country no longer imports gas directly from Russia.

Ukraine's gas storage facilities are the largest in Europe, with more than 30 bcm of active capacity (28.8% of Europe's total). In 2020, Ukraine's underground gas storage facilities reached historical maximum capacity, containing 28.4 bcm due to strong injections by private traders looking for storage options after European storages were quickly filled.