The Ukrainian military has struck the Druzhba pipeline, a key conduit for Russian oil to Europe, once again, sparking protests from neighbouring Hungary. It’s the second time this summer that Ukrainian drones have targeted facilities along the route.
Robert “Madyar” Brovdi, commander of Ukraine’s drone forces, said the attack targeted the Druzhba pipeline, a key artery for Russian oil exports to Europe. This time, the strike hit the Unecha pipeline in Russia’s Bryansk region, which channels oil to the port of Ust-Luga for shipment to Belarus — including the Mozyr refinery — as well as to several EU states, among them Hungary and Slovakia.
Brovdi released a video showing flames engulfing the facility, claiming the strike was carried out by drone operators from Ukraine’s 14th Unmanned Regiment.
That same day, Bryansk governor Aleksandr Bogomaz declared a missile alert in the Unecha district. By the morning of August 22, he said two fixed-wing drones had been shot down in the region, insisting there were “no casualties or damage.”
The Druzhba pipeline has now come under attack for the third time in just a few weeks. On August 13, Ukrainian forces struck the same pipeline in Unecha, sparking a major fire. Hungary’s Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó swiftly urged Kyiv “not to jeopardise Hungary’s energy supply and to stop attacks on the country’s energy routes for a war in which Hungarians are in no way involved.”
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga shot back, reminding his counterpart that Hungary “has systematically sought for many years to maintain its energy dependence on Russia,” despite repeated warnings that Moscow is not a reliable partner. The incident — and the diplomatic clash that followed — underscored the pipeline’s role as a geopolitical lever of Russian influence in Europe.
Just days later, on August 18, Reuters reported that the Nikolskoe refinery near Tambov had been forced offline for at least a month after a Ukrainian drone strike. The attack ignited a fire, disabled three production units, and completely halted the flow of oil through the Druzhba pipeline. Ukrainian officials stressed that the Nikolskoe facility supplies Russia’s occupying forces, making it a legitimate wartime target.
On August 21, Ukraine’s General Staff confirmed the destruction of the Novoshakhtinsk refinery, one of the largest suppliers of petroleum products in southern Russia. That same day, Robert “Madyar” Brovdi announced another strike on the Unecha station — the second that month. Hungary’s foreign minister weighed in again, this time on Facebook.
“During the night, we learned that the Druzhba pipeline along the Russian-Belarusian border had come under several attacks — the third in a short span. As a result, the flow of crude oil to Hungary has been interrupted once again,” Péter Szijjártó wrote.
He called the strike a “new attack on Hungary’s energy security” and a “fresh attempt to drag us into the war.” A close Kremlin ally, Szijjártó vowed to “continue supporting efforts aimed at establishing peace and to defend national interests by every possible means.”
Russian pipelines and refineries have become regular targets for Ukrainian drones. Kyiv argues the campaign is designed to undermine the Russian army’s logistics and weaken the aggressor’s offensive potential.
The Soviet Union began building the Druzhba pipeline in the 1950s, with a clear political aim: to make Central and Eastern European countries dependent on Russian oil. Stretching roughly 4,000 km — more than 600 km of which run through Ukraine — the pipeline has two main branches. The northern line passes through Belarus to Poland and Germany, while the southern branch runs through Ukraine to Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic.
In recent years, the Druzhba pipeline has remained at the centre of geopolitical tensions, a role that has only intensified with the outbreak of full-scale war. Budapest has blocked EU efforts to tighten sanctions on Russian oil, citing its reliance on cheap supplies, and has accused Kyiv of “undermining its sovereignty” over the transit issue. At the same time, Hungary could purchase oil on the Mediterranean market via Croatia’s Omišalj terminal and the Adria pipeline, but it has failed to secure the necessary agreements, citing a lack of political will.
