Latest attack on Druzhba pipeline

Ukrainian drones have recently attacked the Russian Bryansk region near the town of Unecha. According to the commander of the Ukrainian forces of unmanned systems, Robert Brovdi, the strike caused a massive fire at the pumping station. He posted the footage on social media, while the governor of the Bryansk region, Alexander Bogomaz, confirmed the fire, which was later extinguished. The incident was reported by several world agencies.

Slovak oil transporter Transpetrol announced on Thursday evening that the flow of oil to Slovakia had been interrupted."Oil supplies to Slovakia via the Druzhba pipeline were interrupted on the evening of August 21, 2025. The interruption of the oil flow occurred outside the territory of the Slovak Republic," the company said. Hungary also reported a halt in supplies. According to both countries, supplies could be interrupted for at least five days.

"Due to the current attack - based on preliminary damage estimates - oil transport to Hungary and Slovakia will be halted for at least five days. The threat to our energy supplies and the resulting damage are unacceptable," Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said on Facebook.

Ministers appeal to the European Commission

Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár and his Hungarian counterpart Szijjártó sent an open letter to the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas and the European Commissioner for Energy Dan Jorgensen. They pointed out that the European Commission, in its statement of 27 January 2025, stressed that the integrity of the energy infrastructure of the Member States is a matter of security for the entire Union.

"In this statement, the Commission declared that it is ready to protect our critical energy infrastructure, which includes oil pipelines, therefore we consider it absolutely necessary for the EU to stand up for the interests of the Member States and the energy security of its citizens, including the citizens of the Slovak Republic. Any threat to the energy security of our country is unacceptable," said Blanár.

The ministers also recalled that the EU has provided Ukraine with hundreds of billions of euros in support over the past years."In this context, we consider Ukraine's actions, which seriously threaten the energy security of Hungary and Slovakia, to be completely unacceptable. In this context, we strongly call on the Commission to urgently implement the commitments made in the above-mentioned declaration and to guarantee the security of energy supply to its Member States," the letter states.

Orbán complained to Trump

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán also got involved in the situation, and according to the magyarnemzet.hu server, he informed US President Donald Trump on Friday about another Ukrainian attack on the Druzhba pipeline."There is a war in our neighborhood, if anyone thought it was happening somewhere far away, they could have sobered up after the Russian missile attack on Mukachevo. This war poses a direct and constant threat to Hungary and the Hungarian people. Both in the Transcarpathian region and in Hungary," Orbán wrote to Trump, adding that the Ukrainians have repeatedly attacked the Druzhba pipeline and, according to him, have acted in the same way in the case of the Nord Stream gas pipeline.

Trump reacted sharply. According to Orbán, he expressed his anger and asked him to deliver the message to Slovakia as well."Viktor - I'm not happy to hear that. I'm very angry about it. Tell Slovakia. You're a great friend of mine," the Hungarian prime minister quoted the American president as saying.

Orbán shared a handwritten message from his political ally Trump in a private Facebook group for his supporters. The link was also shared on the X network by András László, a Hungarian member of the European Parliament for Orbán's Fidesz party.

Donald Trump condemned Ukraine's recent attack on the Druzhba oil pipeline, which undermines the energy security of two EU and NATO member states, Hungary and Slovakia.



For historical and geographical reasons, our countries have no alternative means of importing oil other than… pic.twitter.com/qkfebGA0IU

— András LÁSZLÓ MEP (@laszloan) August 22, 2025

Slovak President Peter Pellegrini praised Donald Trump's efforts to peacefully resolve the conflict in Ukraine, as well as his stance on the attack on the Druzhba oil pipeline. He also expects support from partners in the EU. He reminded Ukraine that Slovakia is helping it and hopes that they will take this into account in their military actions.

"I very much hope that the negotiations on ending the war in Ukraine will reach a stage where there will be a ceasefire, and I believe that the peace efforts of US President Donald Trump and his partners will soon bring the desired result," Pellegrini stated.

He also praised Trump's strong and dismissive stance in connection with the Ukrainian attack on the Druzhba oil pipeline. The head of state recalled that the people of Slovakia and the Slovak economy depend on this energy infrastructure.

The fact that Ukraine is in an extremely difficult situation does not justify repeated attacks on the Druzhba oil pipeline, which also supplies oil to Slovakia. Such attacks may further complicate its own position and at the same time worsen the situation for neighboring states that are interested in fair and good relations, said Matúš Šutaj Eštok (Hlas-SD).

"The situation is serious, it has affected not only Slovakia, but also Hungary. The President of the United States of America, Donald Trump, also reacted angrily to the situation. We will definitely address the problem of such an overlap at the level of the European Commission," Šutaj Eštok warned.

He added that attacks that could threaten the energy security of Slovak citizens cannot be considered a friendly step.

Energy security at risk

The attack near Unecha is the third in a short period of time. On the night of August 13, Ukrainian drones hit a pumping station there, and on August 18, the Nikolskoye facility in the Tambov region was also targeted, causing a large-scale fire and stopping oil transport completely. Deliveries to Slovakia and Hungary were interrupted on Monday, August 18, but resumed on Tuesday evening. Now, however, they are stopped again - this time possibly for several days.

Reuters recalls that Slovakia and Hungary are among the few EU countries that remain heavily dependent on Russian energy. They obtain most of their oil through the Druzhba pipeline, which runs through Belarus and Ukraine. Kiev has intensified attacks on Russian energy infrastructure in recent weeks. Oil and gas sales account for about a quarter of Russia's state budget revenues and are a key source of financing for the war against Ukraine.

The Druzhba pipeline, one of the largest oil transportation systems in the world, was built in the 1960s by the Soviet Union. With a length of more than 4,000 kilometers, it connects Russian oil fields with Europe. Its northern branch goes to Poland and Germany, and the southern branch goes to Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic.