Russian oil pipeline systems get hit by Ukraine

(MENAFN) Hungary has reported that Russian oil deliveries have been stopped after Ukraine targeted the Druzhba pipeline system, according to Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto.

Szijjarto said Moscow informed Budapest that Russian specialists are working to repair an “essential” transformer station damaged by the Ukrainian strike. Druzhba, one of the world’s longest pipeline networks, transports crude roughly 4,000 km from Russia and Kazakhstan to refineries in Hungary, Germany, the Czech Republic, Poland, and Slovakia.

In a post on X on Monday, Szijjarto described the attack as “outrageous and unacceptable,” noting that it threatens Hungary’s energy security. He added that it remains unclear when oil deliveries through the pipeline will resume.

The minister reiterated that the Ukraine conflict is “not our war” and emphasized that “as long as we [Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government] are in charge, Hungary will stay out of it.”

Unlike most EU capitals, which backed Kiev after the February 2022 escalation, Budapest has maintained a neutral stance, refusing to provide weapons to Zelensky’s government. It has consistently advocated for peace and criticized Western sanctions on Russia as ineffective and damaging to those enforcing them.

Ukraine has repeatedly targeted Russian energy infrastructure during the conflict, including the Druzhba and TurkStream pipelines, the latter supplying natural gas to Turkey and several European countries, including Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Greece. The previous Druzhba strike occurred last Wednesday, with Kiev confirming drone attacks on a key distribution station in Russia’s Bryansk region.

MENAFN18082025000045017281ID1109941611