Ukraine war latest: Druzhba pipeline ready to resume, Zelensky says, raising hopes of unblocking EU loan
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Key developments on April 20:
- Druzhba pipeline ready to resume, Zelensky says, raising hopes of unblocking EU loan
- Ukrainian drones hit key Russian oil hub in Samara Oblast, SBU says
- Fearing Ukrainian troops landing in Crimea, Russia intensifies coastal mining
- Draft officers arrested for kidnapping a man, demanding $30,000 bribe in Odesa; office chief suspended
- Teen recruited by Russia caught while preparing terror attack in Ukraine, SBU says
Oil flows through the Druzhba pipeline are ready to resume, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on April 21, easing a dispute between Kyiv and two EU countries reliant on Russian crude.
The pipeline had been offline since late January after Kyiv reported a Russian strike. Its suspension triggered tensions with Slovakia and Hungary, which depend heavily on the route for oil supplies.
"Ukraine has completed repair work on the section of the Druzhba oil pipeline that was damaged by a Russian strike," Zelensky said. "The pipeline is now ready to resume operations."
"Although no one can guarantee that Russian attacks on the oil pipeline infrastructure will not happen again, our experts have laid the groundwork for restoring the system and equipment to full operation."
The Ukrainian president said that he hopes the EU will now release a 90 billion euro ($106 billion) loan for Kyiv in the coming days, noting that all obstacles have been cleared.
"Ukraine has fulfilled the request made by the European Union," Zelensky said, adding that he discussed unlocking the financial aid package with European Council President Antonio Costa.
The loan, a crucial financial lifeline amid Russian aggression, has been blocked by Hungary due to the halt of Russian oil transit via the Druzhba pipeline.
Budapest and Bratislava accused Ukraine of withholding transit for political reasons, claims Kyivrejected. Both countries escalated the standoff on Feb. 18 by halting diesel exports to Ukraine.Kaja Kallas, the EU's top diplomat, said after the April 21 Foreign Affairs Council that "a positive decision" on the loan could be expected "in the next 24 hours."
The agenda for the permanent representatives' meeting on 22 April now includes the final step required for loan disbursement, a spokesperson for the Cyprus Presidency of the EU Council said.
Hungary and Slovakia, both landlocked, were the only EU members still receiving Russian crude via the pipeline's southern branch before the disruption. The route accounts for roughly 86–92% of Hungary's oil imports and nearly all of Slovakia's supply.
Outgoing Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who was seen as the EU's most Kremlin-friendly leader, centered his reelection campaign on accusations that Ukraine engaged in "energy blackmail."
Budapest has received indications from Brussels that Ukraine was ready to restore oil transit, according to a letter from Orban to European Council President Antonio Costa dated April 20.
Once transit resumes, Hungary will lift its veto of the loan "without delay," Orban added.
Ukrainian drones hit key Russian oil hub in Samara Oblast, SBU says
Ukrainian forces struck the Samara oil distribution station in Russia's Samara Oblast overnight on April 21, hitting a facility key to the country's oil transportation infrastructure, a source in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) told the Kyiv Independent.
The operation was carried out by the SBU's Alfa Special Operations Center and targeted the facility's infrastructure in the settlement of Prosvet, Samara Oblast, according to the source.
Ukrainian drones caused a "massive fire" at the station, the source said. According to preliminary data, five crude oil tanks, each with a capacity of 20,000 cubic meters, were damaged in the attack.
Crude from various fields is blended at the station to produce Urals, Russia’s flagship export crude grade, making the facility a key component of Russia's oil transportation infrastructure.
"Damage to such key facilities directly reduces Russia's ability to assemble oil export shipments and fulfill its contractual obligations," the source said.
Samara Oblast Governor, Vyacheslav Fedorishchev, said that overnight on April 21, "enemy Ukrainian armed forces launched yet another attempt to attack an industrial facility in the Samara Oblast." He reported no civilians casulaties as a result of the attack.
Russia's Defense Ministry claimed that overnight on April 21, its air defense forces intercepted 97 Ukrainian drones over Astrakhan, Belgorod, Volgograd, Voronezh, Kursk, Rostov, Samara, and Saratov oblasts, as well as over the Black Sea.
Ukraine's General Staff previously reported that Ukraine struck four "important" Russian oil industry facilities, including two oil refineries in Samara Oblast on April 18.
Ukraine has increasingly targeted Russian oil depots, refineries, and logistics infrastructure with long-range drones as part of a broader campaign against Russia's industrial facilities supporting the war effort.
But the ongoing war in Iran could blunt that effort, at least in the short term — the war could be a boon for Russia, experts say, as turmoil in global energy markets changes the calculus for the world's largest petrostate.
The country relies in large part on its colossal oil and gas revenues to fund its full-scale invasion of Ukraine — now in its fifth year.
Fearing Ukrainian troops landing in Crimea, Russia intensifies coastal mining
Russian troops have intensified mining coastlines in Russian-occupied Crimea to prevent a possible landing by Ukrainian troops, Vladyslav Voloshyn, spokesperson for Ukraine's Southern Defense Forces, told the Kyiv Independent on April 21.
Voloshyn said that Russia's "Crimea" operational-tactical group continues to actively mine the coastlines and beaches as Russia fears Ukrainian marines might land there again. The last time Ukrainian soldiers landed in Crimea was in 2023.
"The beaches will now become minefields," Voloshyn said.
He added that the total length of Crimea's coastline is about 760 kilometers (472 miles) and that much of its territory has already been mined.
"There are dozens of kilometers of mine-explosive barriers. (Russia) uses both variable-depth minefields and individual minefields, and sets up high-explosive barriers. This involves hundreds of different types of individual mines," Voloshyn said.
On Aug. 24, 2023, Ukrainian forces landed on Russian-occupied Crimea and raised the Ukrainian flag as part of an operation with the Navy, Ukraine's Military Intelligence (HUR) said.
Ukrainian intelligence reported that special watercraft landed on the Crimean coast at the beach near Maiak, a village on the northwestern tip of Crimea, and engaged in combat.
There have also been increasingly damaging attacks on Russian military targets across the peninsula in recent years, which has been occupied by Russia since 2014.
On April 8, Ukrainian drones struck a maritime oil terminal in Feodosia, Russian-occupied Crimea, Unmanned Systems Forces commander Robert "Magyar" Brovdi and the General Staff said.
Draft officers arrested for kidnapping a man, demanding $30,000 bribe in Odesa — office chief suspended
Four draft officers were detained in Odesa on April 21 on suspicion of abducting a man and demanding a $30,000 bribe, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the Prosecutor General's Office reported.
According to the investigation, the suspects abducted a man in Odesa on April 21 and forcibly put him in a van and drove around the city, the Prosecutor General's Office said.
During the unlawful detention, the suspects subjected the victim to physical and psychological pressure, beating and threatening him while demanding a $30,000 bribe, the office added.
During the special operation, SBU officers, alongside the National Police of Ukraine, detained five individuals, including employees of the military recruitment office for Odesa’s Peresyp district.
"The suspects extorted money from people. If the victims refused, the suspects resorted to violence and threatened to send them to the front lines as 'stormtroopers' on an expedited basis," the SBU wrote.
According to the SBU, the suspects acted on a tip from an enlistment office worker from the same office, who scouted out potential victims, gathered information about their financial situation, and tracked their movements. The suspects then followed the victims and attacked them "right in the middle of the street."
The detainees were served with notices of suspicion regarding charges of kidnapping and armed robbery committed by a group of individuals, the Prosecutor General's Office said.
The special operation to apprehend the suspects was carried out with the assistance of the General Staffof the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Ukraine's Ground Forces reported on April 21 that an internal investigation was launched following the detention.
Additionally, the Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, suspended the head of the Odesa Regional Territorial Center for Recruitment and Social Support, along with the head of the Peresyp District Territorial Center for Recruitment and Social Support.
"We emphasize that any violations of the law, abuse of authority, or unlawful actions are unacceptable and must be subject to appropriate legal assessment," Ukraine's Ground Forces wrote.
Amid Ukraine's ongoing mobilization efforts, draft offices have repeatedly faced accusations of ill-treatment, abuse of authority, and other violations.
Teen recruited by Russia caught while preparing terror attack in Ukraine, SBU says
Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) said on April 21 it had uncovered and prevented a planned terrorist attack prepared by a teenage suspect recruited by Russian intelligence.
According to case materials, the teenager planted two improvised explosive devices equipped with remote detonation near a local police station in the city of Kremenchuk., Poltava Oblast.
The attempted attack may have been a double-tap — detonating an initial device and then triggering a second after emergency responders arrive at the scene.
The SBU said it detained the suspect while he was planting the explosives. The devices were neutralized, the agency reported.
According to the investigation, the attack was orchestrated by Russia, with the teenager recruited after seeking quick earnings on Telegram channels.
Following recruitment, he purchased components for two explosive devices and assembled them himself in a rented garage, acting on instructions from his handler in Russia, who also provided the funds, according to the SBU.
"After coordinating the attack location, the suspect went there at night to plant the devices without witnesses," it said.
During searches, authorities seized remaining explosive components and communication devices containing evidence of contact with a Russian handler. The suspect is currently in custody and faces up to 10 years in prison with confiscation of property.
This is not the first case of Russia recruiting Ukrainians, including minors, to carry out terrorist attacks. The SBU has repeatedly warned about the threat and says it is working to prevent such incidents.
Police are often deliberately targeted in such domestically coordinated attacks. Earlier this year, multiple attacks of such kind were carried out. One of the deadliest incidents occurred in Lviv, where explosions in the Old Town killed two people and injured 27.
That attack followed the same double-explosion pattern. The first blast occurred after officers arrived at the scene responding to a reported incident, while the second detonated after additional police units arrived.
"The enemy is actively recruiting Ukrainians via social media to carry out arson attacks and terrorist acts. If unknown individuals promise easy money for completing 'simple tasks,' report it to the SBU. Stay vigilant," an SMS message the SBU periodically sends to citizens, urging them to report threats via its 'Burn the FSB agent' chatbot.
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