Residential solar energy has become an important power source in Ukraine as the country struggles with energy shortages and persistent blackouts caused by Russian military strikes on oil and gas infrastructure. (Adobe Stock)
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By Kathryn Carley
Aug 12, 2025
A group of veterans and elected officials said the ongoing war in Ukraine highlights the need for a global clean energy transition, including in California.
Despite economic sanctions, Russia continues to earn hundreds of billions of dollars from oil and gas as it carries out military strikes on Ukrainian oil refineries.
Katheryn Napier, a member of the Blue Lake City Council and an Army veteran, said even her small community north of San Francisco is taking steps to reduce oil dependence and its harmful effects.
“Our energy dependence on fossil fuels is not a problem that gets solved somewhere else, by someone else,” Napier contended. “It starts in small places like Blue Lake.”
She pointed out her town is generating more solar power, building a battery energy storage system and converting old sawmills into logistic sites for offshore wind power. President Donald Trump, who has criticized clean energy development, meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin this week.
Experts said Ukraine has lost a significant amount of power generating capacity. Some elected officials have called for a Clean Energy Marshall Plan to help the country rebuild its infrastructure with clean, renewable sources, despite ongoing attacks.
Svitiana Sushko, acting director of the Ukraine Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources, said the war has changed her country’s climate and energy policies from a matter of strategy to a means of survival.
“It’s not just a green project,” Sushko explained. “It’s our shield against the war. It’s actual tools of our independence.”
The country has already built 19 wind turbines just 60 miles from the front line. Sushko noted solar panels on hospitals and schools are also helping Ukrainians navigate life during wartime but American and European support is still greatly needed as winter approaches.
Communities worldwide continue to advocate for Ukraine, sending much-needed funds and humanitarian supplies.
Jordan Meade, an elected official in Kent in the UK and adviser to Parliament, said the war is a battle for democratic values, including a prosperous and clean energy future.
“When local leaders act, when grassroots networks are established and mobilized, we create a chain of solidarity that no one, not even the tyrants, can extinguish,” Meade asserted.