The soil surrounding the Naftogaz gas facility in central Ukraine was once all pitch-black before much of it was burned to a rusty red by a massive Russian drone and missile assault.

Scattered remnants of Shahed drones littered the reservoir designated for storing tanks of liquefied propane gas.

Nearly a month after the October 30 attack, several tanks were empty and in ruins.

The Associated Press gained exclusive access to Naftogaz’s gas extraction fields in central Ukraine last week.

The AP is the first and only news outlet to be allowed to film and photograph war damage at the facilities.

Due to strict security protocols, the AP cannot name the facility or its exact location.

Russia has targeted Ukrainian gas extraction this year in a bid to hurt morale and force Ukraine to import large quantities of expensive gas which it can ill afford.

Without the attacks, Ukraine would be able to cover the overwhelming majority of its consumption using its domestic extraction.

Two devastating attacks on Ukraine’s gas extraction facilities in March and October mean the country must import an additional "4.4 billion cubic meters" this winter, said Serhii Koretskyi, Naftogaz’s CEO, in an interview in Kyiv on Friday.

To fill the gap, he said Naftogaz was negotiating with U.S. government lenders to secure financing to buy American liquefied natural gas.

"We have high hopes for the beginning of active practical cooperation with American financial institutions," said Koretskyi.

Ukraine’s energy crisis played into the negotiations for a peace deal over the past week, a senior Ukrainian official told AP on condition of anonymity because they’re not authorized to speak to the media.

AP video by Vasilisa Stepanenko