Naftogaz

Naftogaz (officially NJSC Naftogaz of Ukraine) is the state-owned energy conglomerate founded in 1998 by consolidating Soviet-era assets. It controls Ukraine's natural gas production, storage, and distribution, and manages oil transit through its subsidiary Ukrtransnafta. For decades it was the conduit for Russian gas exports to European Union member states, a role that made it a recurring flashpoint: gas cutoff crises in 2006 and 2009 exposed Europe's dependence on the Russia-Ukraine corridor.

CEO Serhii Koretskyi presented a Druzhba oil pipeline repair plan to the EU on 19 March, with Volodymyr Zelenskyy pledging a 1.5-month repair timeline in exchange for EU funding as part of the €90 billion loan package. The Druzhba pipeline carries Russian crude to landlocked Central European states, making Naftogaz the gatekeeper for their energy security.

The repair commitment is now under strain. As of 27 March, Ukraine had not granted EU inspectors access to the damaged pipeline section, with the 25 April EU gas ban deadline approaching. Whether Naftogaz can fulfil the pledge without access, and whether the EU will enforce consequences if it cannot, is the open question defining the company's wartime credibility.