Hungary Imposes Travel Ban on Ukrainian Commander Over Pipeline Assaults

(MENAFN) Hungary has imposed a travel ban on Robert Brovdy, commander of a Ukrainian military unit, blocking his entry into Hungary and the entire Schengen Area due to concerns over national security linked to recent assaults on the Druzhba oil pipeline.

Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto announced the three-year ban on Thursday, describing the latest pipeline strike as an attack on Hungary’s sovereignty and vowed that it would have consequences.

Szijjarto emphasized the severity of the attack, noting its extended duration forced Hungary to nearly draw from its strategic oil reserves.

A local news outlet reported the ban, quoting the immigration authority’s statement confirming Brovdy’s travel restriction.

Ukraine has carried out three attacks in recent weeks against the Druzhba pipeline, significantly disrupting Hungary’s energy supply. Following last week’s overnight strike near the Russian-Belarusian border, Szijjarto confirmed the suspension of crude oil deliveries, condemning it as "another attack against Hungary's energy security" and "an attempt to drag us into the war."

Pipeline deliveries are expected to resume on Thursday in a test phase.

Responding to the strikes, Szijjarto warned: "Ukraine knows perfectly well that attacks against the Druzhba pipeline harm not Russia, but primarily Hungary and Slovakia." He urged Kyiv to "not attack the oil pipeline supplying Hungary in the future, and not to endanger the security of our energy supply."

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