El Niño comes to Ukraine’s aid
Russia has again ramped up attacks on Ukraine’s electricity grid ahead of winter, with 8,000 households temporarily losing power last week. Ukraine’s long-distance drone strikes have hit Russian oil refineries, and Russia’s Defense Ministry said more strikes are coming. Ukraine enters winter with a natural gas surplus, more protective barriers around energy assets, and an expected warm, wet winter due to a strong El Niño, while Germany announced €1 billion in military aid and €350 million for energy repairs.
Why it matters: The convergence of wartime energy infrastructure attacks and a favorable El Niño weather pattern makes energy security a central variable in Ukraine’s winter resilience.