Ukraine targets Russian oil supplies to Hungary for third time

(MENAFN) Russian crude deliveries to Hungary have been suspended after Ukraine launched another attack on the Druzhba pipeline, marking the third strike on the system this month, according to Hungary’s Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto. Slovak authorities also confirmed the disruption.

The Druzhba pipeline, one of the world’s longest energy networks, carries oil approximately 4,000 kilometers (2,485 miles) from Russia and Kazakhstan to refineries in Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Germany, and Poland. Passing through Ukraine, it serves as the main conduit for Russian crude to Hungary and Slovakia.

Ukraine has repeatedly targeted Russian energy infrastructure during the conflict. The most recent attacks on Druzhba occurred on August 13 and August 18, with Ukrainian forces reportedly firing drones at a key distribution station in Russia’s Bryansk Region, putting critical supplies to Hungary and Slovakia at risk.

“This is yet another attack on our country’s energy security – another attempt to drag us into the war,” Szijjarto said on Facebook, noting that the pipeline was hit near the Russian-Belarusian border.

Slovak Economy Minister Denisa Sakova confirmed that oil transfers would halt while authorities assess the damage. Beyond Druzhba, Ukraine has also targeted the TurkStream pipeline, which delivers natural gas to Turkey and several European nations, including Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Greece. Earlier in 2025, Kyiv struck a gas metering station near Sudzha, part of a pipeline supplying the EU before the escalation of the conflict.

Hungary has maintained a neutral position on the war, refusing to provide arms to Ukraine. Budapest has repeatedly urged for peace and criticized Western sanctions against Russia as ineffective and more damaging to those who impose them.

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