Bypassing Druzhba. Hungary and Slovakia want to receive Russian oil via another pipeline
16 February 12:51
Hungary and Slovakia are asking Croatia to ensure the transit of Russian oil through the Adria pipeline. This was stated by Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
“We are asking Croatia to ensure the transportation of Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia via the Adria pipeline, as our exemption from sanctions allows us to import Russian oil by sea in the event of disrupted pipeline supplies,” he wrote.
On February 15, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico accused Ukraine of delaying the restart of the Druzhba pipeline, which transports Russian oil to Eastern Europe via Ukraine, Reuters reports.
On February 12, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said that Russian oil supplies destined for Eastern Europe and transiting through the Ukrainian section of the Druzhba pipeline had been suspended since January 27 due to the Russian attack.
Fico said that oil supplies had become a political issue, but did not provide any evidence to support his claim.
“We have information that the pipeline was to be repaired. I perceive what is happening today around oil as political blackmail against Hungary because of Hungary’s uncompromising position on Ukraine’s EU membership,” he said.
The Adria oil pipeline is over 600 km long and has a design capacity of 34 million tons of oil per year. It connects the Croatian port of Omisalj on the Adriatic Sea with oil refineries in Croatia and other countries in Southeast and Central Europe.
As reported, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga criticized Hungary for its silence after Russia’s strike on the Druzhba oil pipeline infrastructure, which halted oil transit.
On January 27, Russian troops struck a key linear station of the Druzhba oil pipeline in the city of Brody, Lviv region.
In 2025, Russian oil transit through Ukraine decreased by 14% compared to 2024, to 9.73 million tons.
In 2025, most Russian oil was supplied to Slovakia — almost 4.9 million tons, which is 24% more than in 2024. In addition, 4.35 million tons of oil were transported to Hungary, 8% less than last year.
In March 2025, the Czech Republic completely stopped buying Russian oil, which led to the suspension of transit to the Czech Republic in early March 2025. During 2025, supplies via Druzhba to the Czech Republic amounted to only 0.52 million tons, which is five times less than in 2024.
