Ukraine has struck a key pumping station on the Druzhba oil pipeline, cutting Russian oil supplies to Hungary and Slovakia, the only EU states still dependent on the route.
The Unecha pumping station, located in Russia’s Bryansk region, was hit in a combined attack involving Himars rockets and drones, according to Bryansk’s governor, Alexander Bogomaz. Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces commander, Robert Brovdi, confirmed responsibility for the strike.
Hungary and Slovakia warned the European Commission that supplies could be suspended for at least five days. “Without this pipeline, the safe supply of our countries is simply not possible,” their foreign ministers, Péter Szijjártó and Juraj Blanár, said in a joint letter.
Budapest condemned the strike, with Szijjártó writing on Facebook that the Druzhba pipeline had been attacked “for the third time in a short time”. He called it “another attack on the energy security of our country. Another attempt to drag us into war.”
Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orbán, who has resisted EU sanctions against Moscow and maintained ties with Vladimir Putin, criticised Kyiv directly. In a message posted online, Orbán accused Ukraine of hostility: “Hungary supports Ukraine with electricity and petrol, in return they bomb pipeline that supply us. Very unfriendly move!”
The post was accompanied by a handwritten note apparently signed by Donald Trump, reading: “Viktor, I do not like hearing this, I am very angry about it. Tell Slovakia. You are my great friend, Donald.”
Hungary and Slovakia remain outliers in the EU after refusing to join the bloc’s ban on Russian oil imports following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The EU has pledged to phase out Russian energy entirely by 2027, but both governments argue their economies depend on continued supplies.
The latest disruption marks the second interruption to Druzhba flows this week. The Soviet-era pipeline, which also transports Kazakh oil to Germany, was not affecting German deliveries, officials in Berlin said.
The strike comes as the war entered its fourth year with no sign of resolution. Despite attempts by Trump to broker talks between Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky, Russia has intensified its assault, launching a wave of air strikes near Ukraine’s EU border and continuing bombardments of major cities.
Ukraine has in turn targeted Russian oil facilities, driving wholesale petrol prices in Russia to record highs.
Slovakia’s pro-Russian prime minister, Robert Fico, has backed Orbán in opposing tougher EU measures against Moscow. Earlier this year, Fico became the only EU leader to attend Russia’s 9 May military parade in Moscow, and met Putin at the Kremlin in May.
