Crude oil deliveries from Russia to Hungary via the Druzhba pipeline have been halted after a reported attack near the Russia-Belarus border, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has said.
“We received news during the night that the Friendship oil pipeline at the Russian-Belarusian border has been attacked again,” Szijjarto said on Facebook on Friday.
The Hungarian top diplomat noted that the late Thursday attack was the third assault on the pipeline in a short period. He warned that the attack threatened Hungary’s energy security, and described it as an attempt “to draw the country into war.”
“It won’t work! We will continue to support peace efforts with all our strength and protect our national interests!” Szijjarto said, without mentioning the attacker.
The attack came on the same day when German authorities said they had arrested a Ukrainian for his alleged involvement in the 2022 sabotage of the Nord Stream undersea pipelines that took gas from Russia to Europe.
At the time, Western officials and analysts quickly blamed Russia for the attack on Nord Stream, even though Moscow has a stake in the gas pipelines.
The recent attack on the Druzhba oil pipeline comes as Russia and Ukraine continue to hit each other with missiles and bombs.
Ukraine's military struck the Unecha oil pumping station in Russia's Bryansk region, the commander of Ukraine's unmanned systems forces, Robert Brovdi, said late on Thursday.
Brovdi posted a video on the Telegram messaging platform that showed a large fire at a facility with numerous fuel tanks.
Hungary relies heavily on Russian crude, making the disruption a significant concern for national energy security and regional stability.
