Ukraine strikes Druzhba pipeline, threatens Hungary, Slovakia flows

A third Ukrainian strike this month on Russia’s Druzhba oil pipeline hit the Unecha pumping station in Bryansk region, triggering a blaze and raising the prospect of a multi-day interruption to deliveries to Hungary and Slovakia. The attack comes as European energy officials weigh the resilience of a critical supply line that remains central to the two EU member states’ fuel security, even as Kyiv argues such hits are legitimate wartime measures against Moscow’s war machine. The European Commission has not publicly commented on the latest development, while the political fallout across Budapest and Bratislava has intensified calls for action to protect energy flows.

The Druzhba pipeline runs from Russia through Ukraine and Belarus to Central Europe and has long been a lynchpin for energy supply in the region. While some European Union members have reduced or diversified oil imports since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Hungary and Slovakia have continued to rely on Druzhba for large volumes of crude, aided by carveouts that shielded them from full sanctions targeting Russian oil. In recent days, observers noted that Germany and Kazakhstan reported no disruption in their own...