Druzhba Halt Stops Ukrainian Oil Flows to Central Europe

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Pipeline Strike Disrupts Oil Flows to Hungary and Slovakia

The Druzhba crude oil pipeline had been transporting Ukrainian oil alongside significantly larger quantities of Russian crude before it was damaged in what Kyiv describes as a Russian attack, three industry sources familiar with the situation said. The strike, which occurred a month before the report, has led to a complete suspension of supplies via this route.

Shipments to Hungary and Slovakia through Druzhba, a route predominantly operated by Russia, have been halted since January 27. Kyiv attributes the disruption to Russian strikes on pumping facilities in western Ukraine, a development that has triggered tensions within the European Union and prompted Hungary to attempt to block new sanctions on Russia.

The use of Druzhba to move Ukrainian crude to EU member states Hungary and Slovakia had not been disclosed previously. According to the industry sources, the interruption has cut off a meaningful export revenue stream for Ukraine, which relies on such income to help fund its budget. If the stoppage continues, it could force Ukraine to shut in oil production, the sources warned.

Ukraine’s energy ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Since the Russian invasion four years ago, Ukraine has treated all data related to oil processing and exports as classified.

Ukraine’s Oil Output Under Pressure

Ukraine produced about 1.7 million tons of oil in 2021. It also brought in substantial import volumes that were processed at the Kremenchuk refinery, which has a nameplate capacity of 19 million metric tons per year, along with several smaller plants.

Russia began targeting Ukrainian refineries at the onset of the war in February 2022. One industry source said the effective destruction of the country’s final remaining refining capacity in mid-2025 forced fuel traders to increase imports and left Ukraine facing a challenge over how to handle its crude production.

With domestic refining no longer viable, Ukraine had to export crude, and Druzhba was the only available channel, the source added. The segment of the Druzhba system located in Ukraine is owned by the State Property Fund.

Reuters was not able to establish Ukraine’s current rate of oil production. Ukrainian media reported that in 2024, Ukrnafta, the country’s largest oil producer, pumped 1.4 million tons of crude, approximately matching its 2023 output.

Ukrainian Crude Shipments via Druzhba

Before the strike on the pipeline, Ukraine had been feeding about 40,000 metric tons of crude per month into Druzhba, according to a second industry source. The other two sources confirmed that Ukrainian exports were taking place via the system, but they did not provide volume estimates. All three sources requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the topic.

The second source said that for several months leading up to the January attack, Ukraine had been injecting crude into the pipeline at Brody in western Ukraine for onward delivery to European buyers.

Oil arriving through Druzhba is processed at refineries owned by Hungarian multinational energy company MOL. MOL did not immediately respond to a question from Reuters on whether it had been receiving Ukrainian crude through the pipeline and in what quantities.

The governments of Hungary and Slovakia did not immediately reply to requests for comment on Friday.

While most other EU member states have stopped using Russian crude, Hungary and Slovakia continue to rely on it and have accused Ukraine of intentionally extending the pipeline outage.

Hungary has also alleged that Ukraine interfered in its April elections, delayed agreement on a 90-billion-euro EU loan package that Kyiv is counting on, and blocked a fresh round of EU sanctions on Russia.

Druzhba’s Shrinking Role in Europe’s Oil Supply

The southern leg of Druzhba, constructed in the 1960s during the Soviet era, has historically transported mostly Russian-origin crude to central Europe. The pipeline’s name translates as “friendship” in English.

Moscow has accused Kyiv of putting Europe’s energy security at risk by halting the flow of Russian crude through the system.

Druzhba is one of the largest oil pipelines globally, with a capacity exceeding 2 million barrels per day. Its significance has diminished, however, following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the imposition of European sanctions.

According to Kyiv-based oil consultancy Expro, transit volumes through the southern branch of Druzhba in 2025 dropped to a 10-year low of 9.7 million tons. Expro reported that Slovakia received 4.9 million tons, while Hungary took delivery of 4.35 million tons. The Czech Republic stopped using Russian crude in April 2025.

The northern section of the pipeline, once the principal supply route for Poland, now operates at only a small fraction of its capacity and is used to transport Kazakh crude to Germany.

Alternative Routes and Long-Standing Plans

Ukraine has for many years considered using the Druzhba system to ship Caspian crude to European buyers.

In 2002, Ukraine completed the Odesa-Brody pipeline, designed to link Black Sea export terminals with the Druzhba network. However, that line has carried only limited volumes of oil since completion.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Wednesday that this section of the pipeline network was also attacked during the war.

EU Response and Political Tensions

Brussels has not taken a formal position in favor of either side in the dispute over Druzhba. However, it has called on Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to uphold the EU loan agreement for Ukraine. The EU also plans to present a legal proposal on April 15 to implement a permanent ban on Russian oil imports.

Slovakia disclosed the Druzhba outage on February 13, well after flows of Russian crude through the system had been cut off the previous month.