Druzhba Oil Pipeline Supplies Resume After Ukrainian Attacks

"I hope that operations will remain stable and that there will be no more attacks on energy infrastructure,” the Slovak economy minister said.

Tomas Benedikovic / AFP

"I hope that operations will remain stable and that there will be no more attacks on energy infrastructure,” the Slovak economy minister said.

The flow of oil through the Druzhba pipeline has been fully restored, Slovak and Hungarian authorities confirmed.

Slovak Economy Minister Denisa Saková expressed hope that operations remain stable, emphasizing the importance of uninterrupted energy supplies for Central Europe. “I hope that operations will remain stable and that there will be no more attacks on energy infrastructure that affect not only us, but also other Central European countries,” Saková said.

Hungarian oil company MOL also confirmed that the pipeline is back in service.

The temporary disruption did not require the release of Slovakia’s strategic reserves–including crude oil and petroleum products–which cover around 90 days, and commercial stocks in refineries can cover about ten days of short-term outages.

Repairs were completed in six days, one day longer than initially expected, due to the extensive damage sustained.

The pipeline had been damaged on the night of August 22th when Ukrainian drones struck a pumping station in Unecha, Bryansk region, marking the third similar incident this month.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó confirmed on Thursday, August 28th, that Hungary had banned the commander of the Ukrainian military unit responsible for the attack on the pipeline from entering the country and the Schengen Area.

Rebeka Kis is a fifth-year law student at the University of Pécs. Her main interests are politics and history, with experience in the EU’s day-to-day activities gained as an intern with the Foundation for a Civic Hungary at the European Parliament.