Natural gas imports to Ukraine in July reached a nearly two-year high – 833 mcm

Natural gas imports to Ukraine in July 2025 rose to the highest level in almost two years, since September 2023, reaching 833 mcm, according to ExPro data. Compared to June (539 mcm), imports increased 1.5 times, and compared to July 2024 (52 mcm), 16 times.

Reasons for growth

The increase in natural gas imports in July is related to the ongoing preparation for the next heating season through gas injection into underground storage facilities.

In July, the import structure changed: almost all gas was delivered to the “customs warehouse” of Ukrainian UGS – 774 mcm or 93% of total imports, of which 3.4 mcm using the short-haul service. In addition, about 59 mcm (7%) was imported directly into the Ukrainian GTS.

Naftogaz of Ukraine in July imported all its natural gas to the “customs warehouse” of Ukrainian UGS. According to ExPro estimates, the company accounted for more than 90% of total imports during the month. The rest of the gas was imported by private companies.

Import structure

The largest volumes in July were imported from Hungary – 300 mcm or 36% of total imports. Natural gas also came from Slovakia – 268 mcm (32.2%), Poland – 260 mcm (31.2%), and the Trans-Balkan route – 5.1 mcm (0.6%). Most of the gas from the Trans-Balkan direction came from Greece via the new joint capacity booking route (Route 1) – 5 mcm. Gas through this route was imported by private companies.

In addition, at the end of July, a small volume of Azerbaijani natural gas was imported through the Trans-Balkan route (from Bulgaria via Romania to Ukraine) under a test agreement between Naftogaz and SOCAR Energy Ukraine.

Imports in 2025

Overall, in the first seven months of 2025, Ukraine increased natural gas imports 13 times compared to the same period last year, to 2.93 bcm. Most of the natural gas was imported by Naftogaz – almost 90%, while private companies accounted for more than 10%. The largest imports in 2025 came from Hungary – 1.47 bcm (50%), Poland – 760 mcm (25.95%), Slovakia – 698 mcm (23.85%), and the Trans-Balkan route – 5 mcm (0.2%).

How much needs to be imported?

According to Ukrainian Energy Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk, Ukraine’s target is to accumulate at least 13.2 bcm of natural gas in underground storage facilities by November 1. According to ExPro estimates, to achieve this target, it is necessary to import about 1.7 bcm of natural gas in August–October.

Where to find natural gas market analytics?

Detailed analytics of the natural gas market in Ukraine, including production, imports, exports, UGS reserves, trading results, natural gas prices, key news, etc., are published in specialized publications ExPro Daily Gas, ExPro Gas&Oil Weekly, and ExPro Gas&Oil Monthly.

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