Ukraine scraps duties for energy equipment imports amid energy crisis

Over the past three months, Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities have left millions facing extended blackouts as well as a lack of water and air conditioning during the summer heat. The parliament approved two laws to cancel customs duties and value-added tax on imports of equipment for electric generators, wind and solar generation, and powerful accumulators, said Danyo Hetmantsev, a senior lawmaker.

Ukraine's parliament voted on Tuesday to scrap taxes and duties on imports of energy equipment as the country battles a severe energy crisis due to Russian bombardments. Over the past three months, Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities have left millions facing extended blackouts as well as a lack of water and air conditioning during the summer heat.

The parliament approved two laws to cancel customs duties and value-added tax on imports of equipment for electric generators, wind and solar generation, and powerful accumulators, said Danyo Hetmantsev, a senior lawmaker. Russia has stepped up its aerial attacks on the Ukrainian power sector since March, knocking out the bulk of thermal and hydropower generation. Ukraine has since lost about half of its available generation capacity.

Another lawmaker, Dmytro Razumkov, hailed the move as "the right step" and urged his colleagues to consider more legislative changes to extend preferential import rules to generators, inverters, power banks, and other equipment until June 2026. "It is no longer possible to imagine life and work without generators and charging stations," he said on the Telegram messaging app.

"In autumn and winter, demand for them will only increase, along with prices. So we have to act now."