In the early hours of Monday, a series of Ukrainian air strikes hit targets inside Russia, setting fire to the Kalejkino pumping station in Tatarstan. The facility, located in the oil production hub of Almetyevsk, is a critical node in Russia’s trunk pipeline network and a key starting point of the Druzhba pipeline.
The attack could further endanger oil supplies to Hungary and Slovakia. Oil from Tatarstan and neighbouring regions flows through Almetyevsk into the main pipeline system, passing through the Samara region before heading west toward Belarus and onward to Central and Eastern Europe.
The Druzhba pipeline was already damaged last week on its Ukrainian section, temporarily halting deliveries toward Europe. Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó accused Kyiv of deliberately refusing to restart oil transit toward Hungary.
“We have decided this week to halt diesel fuel shipments to Ukraine, which accounted for approximately 10% of their total imports,” Szijjártó said. “We have also made it clear that until Ukraine restarts oil deliveries toward Hungary, we will continue to block all EU decisions vital to Kyiv.”
Slovakia has also escalated the dispute. Bratislava suspended diesel exports to Ukraine last week, accusing Kyiv of intentionally restricting Russian oil flows through Druzhba. Prime Minister Robert Fico warned that Monday was the deadline for restoring transit, adding that Slovakia could halt electricity exports to Ukraine if supplies are not resumed.
The latest strike in Tatarstan may now complicate efforts to restart the pipeline, deepening an already fraught energy standoff between Kyiv and several Central European governments.
