Ukraine faces its most difficult winter in modern history but should manage to reach a government goal of building 19 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas reserves in time, Energy Minister German Galushchenko said on Thursday. Ukraine abandoned Russian natural gas imports in 2015 and now gets its gas from the rest of Europe, but soaring prices and the huge cost of Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion have called into question the feasibility of building up such a large amount of fuel. Russia calls its actions a “special military operation.” Reaching the prime minister’s reserve target of 19 bcm could reassure Ukrainians bracing for a difficult wartime winter of serious energy shortages, as natural gas is largely used to heat homes. “I think that during this season we will more or less reach 19 billion,” Galushchenko told Reuters, noting the country needs part of […]