Poland hopes Ukraine knocks out Druzhba pipeline — Sikorski taunts Hungary
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski on Oct. 22 expressed hope that Ukrainian drone forces succeed in disabling an oil pipeline carrying Russian oil to Hungary, amid another Warsaw-Budapest spat.
"I hope your brave compatriot, Major Magyar, finally succeeds in knocking out the oil pipeline that feeds (Russian President Vladimir) Putin's war machine and you get your oil via Croatia," Sikorski told his Hungarian counterpart, Peter Szijjarto, on X.
The Polish minister was referring to Robert Brovdi, a Ukrainian military officer of Hungarian descent and the commander of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces known by the callsign "Magyar."
Hungary banned entry to Brovdi over Ukrainian drone attacks against Russian facilities linked to Druzhba, a massive pipeline system funneling Russian oil to the Central European country.
Most EU countries stopped buying Russian oil after the outbreak of the full-scale war in 2022. As of 2025, only Slovakia and Hungary — whose leaders are known for their sympathies to Moscow — continue to use the Druzhba pipeline.
Sikorski's jab came amid a public spat with Szijjarto over a Polish court's decision not to extradite a Ukrainian national suspected of sabotaging the Nord Stream pipelines in 2022.
The two top diplomats frequently trade barbs on social media, highlighting the strained ties between their countries.
Is @sikorskiradek talking about the independent court which, on @donaldtusk’s orders, refused to extradite the terrorist who blew up the Nord Stream 2 pipeline? 🤔 https://t.co/WooWnOpQth
— Péter Szijjártó (@FM_Szijjarto) October 22, 2025
The Polish court on Oct. 16 refused to extradite Ukrainian citizen Volodymyr Z. to Germany, where he is wanted under an international warrant. He was subsequently released from custody.
After Szijjarto called the Ukrainian suspect a "terrorist," Sikorski responded that he is "proud of the Polish court, which ruled that sabotaging an invader is no crime."
Poland has been a long-standing critic of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 natural gas pipelines, which were built to transport gas from Russia to Germany through the Baltic Sea.
The Nord Stream 2 pipeline was completed only a few months before the outbreak of the full-scale invasion and never began operations.
German authorities accuse Volodymyr Z. of helping to place explosives on the pipelines as part of a covert operation conducted from a rented sailing yacht that departed from the port of Rostock.
Poland's refusal follows a similar move by Italy's Supreme Court, which on Oct. 15 overturned the extradition of another Ukrainian national, Serhii Kuznetsov, wanted by Germany on related charges.
Kyiv, which has also sharply criticized the Nord Stream pipelines, has denied any involvement in the explosions.
Kateryna Hodunova
