Russian attacks on Ukraine's vulnerable energy supply have intensified recently and, in many places, have disrupted basic services in people's everyday lives, such as electricity, heating, water, transportation and access to healthcare.
This is the main reason the government has decided on a new support package for Ukraine, says Foreign Trade Minister Benjamin Dousa.
Sensitive areas are prioritized
The money will go to energy supply for prioritized, particularly sensitive areas such as healthcare, defense, transportation and industry.
Since the invasion, Russian attacks have often targeted the country's energy infrastructure and knocked out large parts of energy production, Dousa notes.
Russia has systematically targeted Ukraine's energy production precisely because energy is the basis for civil society's infrastructure, such as hospitals and defense, he says.
Make it last until the fall
The reason we are making decisions about the money right now is so it will last until the fall, when the situation is more critical and temperatures are lower.
In total, the government decision concerns support of SEK 1.49 billion, of which SEK 1.37 billion will go to an energy fund in Ukraine for repairs and installation of new energy production capacity.
Of the support, SEK 100 million will go to the Civil Defense Agency, which will provide the war-torn country with personnel, transportation, procurement of materials and other support linked to the country's energy supply needs, such as batteries and power plants.
To strengthen the protection of Ukraine's nuclear facilities, SEK 20 million of the support package will in turn go to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
