Ukraine strikes Druzhba oil pipeline again despite Hungary, Slovakia's appeal, HUR source says
Ukraine attacked the Druzhba oil pipeline on Dec. 1, despite Hungary and Slovakia previously urging Kyiv to refrain from further attacks.
The Druzhba pipeline, one of the world's largest with a capacity of 2 million barrels per day (bpd), is a critical conduit for oil from Russian fields to European refineries. It remains a lifeline for Hungary and Slovakia, the only EU countries still importing Russian crude through the system.
The Dec. 1 attack on the oil pipeline was carried out near the village of Kazinskie Vyselki in Tambov Oblast on the Taganrog-Lipetsk section of the pipeline, a source in Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) told the Kyiv Independent.
According to the source, remote-controlled explosives, combined with additional combustible mixtures, were used to destroy the oil pipeline section.
"The Russian oil network, as the main source of income for the aggressor state and financing for the military-industrial complex, will continue to explode and burn until the enemy stops trying to attack Ukraine," the source said.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims.
Previously, Ukraine carried out several attacks on the Druzhba pipeline, including at multiple attacks in August, resulting in a temporary disruption of operations.
Hungary and Slovakia, whose leaders maintain close ties with Moscow, have repeatedly resisted tougher EU measures against Russia and argue that Russian energy supplies should not be restricted until viable alternatives are in place.
Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil infrastructure have drawn sharp criticism from both countries, which urged Kyiv not to target the Druzhba pipeline.
On March 11, after Ukraine struck the pipeline in Russia's Oryol Oblast, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto called on Ukraine to refrain from attacking the energy infrastructure supplying Hungary, as "Hungary's energy supply is a matter of sovereignty."
Following a meeting with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico in Uzhhorod on Sept. 5, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine would not halt its retaliatory strikes in response to ongoing Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities.
The EU has largely phased out Russian oil imports following Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
However, the Druzhba pipeline's southern branch remains active under exemptions for certain Central European countries.
