More than a dozen shaheds. Russians strike at Smart Energy gas facility

On the night of December 19, Russian forces launched a large-scale attack on a Smart Energy gas production facility in Kharkiv region, despite the plant being out of operation since the beginning of the year due to a suspended special permit, the company’s press service reported.

"The enemy deliberately launched more than a dozen Shahed drones at our gas facility in Kharkiv region. The equipment suffered heavy damage, and the full extent of the consequences is still being assessed. Fortunately, no employees were injured," Smart Energy said.

In November, a previous attack on the company resulted in the death of a gas worker from Poltava region.

According to the Ukrainian Air Force, on the night of December 19, Russian forces launched 160 Shahed, Gerbera, and other types of attack UAVs at Ukraine. Ukrainian defenses managed to shoot down or neutralize 108 of them in the south and east of the country. The remaining 47 strike drones targeted 23 different locations.

• Smart Energy was formerly one of Ukraine’s five largest private gas producers. Before the full-scale Russian invasion, its companies — Ukrgazvydobutok, Regal Petroleum Corporation Limited, Arkona Gas-Energy, and Prom-Energo Product — produced over 1 million cubic meters of gas per day.
• In 2023, following sanctions against businessman Vadym Novynskyi, Smart Energy faced licensing difficulties. By spring 2025, daily production across the group’s companies had dropped to approximately 55,000–60,000 cubic meters.