Representatives of the Ukraine Support Team (UST) participated in the “Energy Security – Lessons from Ukraine” conference, held in Berlin, which brought together government officials, energy industry representatives, network operators, and experts to discuss how Ukraine’s experience is shaping Europe’s approach to energy security.

One of the most powerful statements of the conference came from Germany’s Deputy Minister of Economy and Energy:

Europe will not go back to Russian oil and gas, not now, not ever

This statement effectively set the framework for the entire discussion: energy security is no longer viewed as merely a matter of the market or access to resources. It has become a matter of national security, economic resilience, and the ability of states to function during crises.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal spoke about a new approach to managing critical infrastructure—shifting from post-crisis response to readiness to operate under constant threats. In particular, the discussion focused on building reserves of critical equipment, training repair teams, and the principle of “triple redundancy”: when one system component is operational, a second is ready for immediate replacement, and a third is already in reserve or on order.

There was also much discussion about the fact that the question is no longer how to avoid damage, but how quickly the system can recover after an attack.

Moldova’s Minister of Foreign Affairs also delivered a very powerful message:

Ukraine’s resistance is our survival

Moldova shared its own experience of breaking free from energy dependence—from 100% reliance on Russian gas to full diversification of supplies and integration into the European energy system. Particular emphasis was placed on energy efficiency as a tool for energy resilience—from insulating buildings to household support programs for replacing inefficient equipment.

At the same time, representatives of European network operators and the energy sector repeatedly emphasized: Ukraine is gradually becoming a country from which others are learning.

How to operate under attack.
How to quickly restore the system after large-scale outages.
How to ensure the continuity of critical infrastructure.
How to plan for equipment reserves, cybersecurity, and crisis response.

A separate topic was the decentralization of the energy sector: local networks (microgrids), energy storage, distributed generation, and “island mode” (autonomous operation mode), which allows critical infrastructure—hospitals, water supply systems, and heating systems—to continue operating even if the centralized system is damaged.

For UST, the idea that the energy sector can no longer be viewed in isolation from other areas of life has become particularly important. During a crisis, it is directly linked to healthcare, water supply, transportation, humanitarian logistics, digital infrastructure, and the ability of communities to function as a whole.

“Today, resilience is no longer just about energy. It’s about the interconnection of critical systems and the readiness of communities to operate under shock conditions. That is why the high-quality development of resilience plans is becoming critically important—they must take into account not only technical solutions but also the interaction between different sectors and response scenarios,” notes Olena Koltyk, a UST expert.

“Today, resilience is no longer just about energy. It’s about the interconnection of critical systems and the readiness of communities to operate under shock conditions. That is why the high-quality development of resilience plans is becoming critically important—they must take into account not only technical solutions but also the interaction between different sectors and response scenarios,” notes Olena Koltyk, a UST expert.

Ukraine’s experience, shaped by constant attacks on the power grid, is increasingly viewed not as an exceptional situation but as a practical lesson for shaping a new architecture of European energy security.