One of Europe’s most promising emerging renewables markets found itself a war zone on Thursday as Russia launched a wide-ranging military operation in Ukraine – in a bitter irony just as the nation planned to start disentangling its energy system from its giant neighbour's.

The future shape of events in Ukraine – which has also been tipped as a potential major supplier of green hydrogen to the EU – was shrouded in uncertainty as President Vladimir Putin’s forces attacked on several fronts.