Over the month of August, Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy infrastructure damaged the Druzhba (Friendship) pipeline on three distinct occasions, each time disrupting supply. Still dependent on the pipeline for much of its energy needs, both Hungary and Slovakia reacted with indignation.
On Wednesday, Aug. 12, Ukrainian drones struck the Unecha junction and pumping station in Bryansk Oblast, Russia. This caused a fire, which disrupted the supply of crude deliveries to Hungary until Friday, Aug. 15.
Three days later on Monday, Aug. 18, Ukraine’s 14th Drone Regiment attacked the Nikolskoye oil pumping station in Michurinsky District in Tambov Oblast. A more severe assault, it caused the flow of the Druzhba to come to a halt, although supply was restored two days later, after the repair of a critical transformer station.
The Unecha station in Bryansk Oblast was targeted once again, on Friday, Aug. 22. In addition to drone strikes, this time the station was bombarded by rocket fire, which caused even greater damage and led to a five-day disruption in supply.
Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó and his Slovak counterpart Juraj Blanár raised the issue in a letter sent to EU High Representative Kaja Kallas and Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen on Aug. 22, calling on Brussels to prevent these attacks.
In their letter, the ministers referred to a European Commission declaration that had called on third countries to respect the integrity of the energy infrastructure supplying member states as a “matter of EU security.”
They pointed out that the commission had said it was “ready to take measures to protect critical energy infrastructure such as electricity cables and oil or gas pipelines or facilities. Yet after all three strikes it has remained silent, taking no steps to defend the energy supply of member states,” the ministers protested.
“Given that in the past years, the EU and its member states have provided hundreds of billions of euros worth of support to Ukraine, we find Ukraine’s actions, which severely threaten the energy security of Hungary and Slovakia, completely unacceptable,” they added.
Despite that, another two Ukrainian air strikes targeting Russian energy infrastructure took place on Saturday, Sep. 6, and Saturday, Sep. 27, although on these occasions it failed to damage the Druzhba pipeline and thus disrupt crude oil deliveries to Hungary.
Given how relatively precarious the Druzhba supply has become for Hungary, it has sought assurances from other suppliers. Croatian pipeline operator Janaf said it could fully meet the annual crude oil needs of Hungarian oil group MOL’s refineries in Hungary and Slovakia, if deliveries via the Druzhba pipeline stopped, chairman of the management board Stjepan Adanić told news wire Reuters on Sep. 3.
“The pipeline is in good technical condition and fully capable of ensuring stable supply, including the possible increase in quantity, should delivery via the Druzhba pipeline cease,” Adanić said.
However, MOL later said on Sep. 24 that capacity tests on the Adria crude pipeline to evaluate whether it could consistently function at maximum capacity over extended periods had failed due to technical issues. MOL said joint tests carried out several times indicated the pipeline could not maintain sufficient capacity for more than 1-2 hours. The Croatia side claimed MOL had asked it to run at reduced rates on the third test.
Speaking in New York on Sep. 25, Szijjártó accused Croatia of exploiting the energy crisis by charging Hungary a “wartime premium” for crude oil deliveries, claiming that transit fees for oil delivered via the Adria pipeline had been raised to five times the European benchmark.
Szijjártó also addressed concerns over Bulgaria’s commitment to gas transit after Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov reportedly said the country would end its contract for Russian gas transit in 2026. After requesting clarification, Szijjártó said Bulgarian energy minister Zhecho Stankov had assured him Bulgaria would remain a reliable transit partner for Hungary.
Hungary’s energy mix received another blow of sorts, when the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) annulled an EC decision approving state aid for the upgrade of Hungary’s Paks nuclear power plant. According to the ruling, the EC should have verified whether awarding the contract for the construction of two reactors to Russian state firm Rosatom was in line with EU public procurement rules.
“This judgment will not restrict or slow to any degree the advance of the investment,” Szijjártó said in response to the CJEU ruling. Indeed, first deputy CEO of Rosatom Kirill Komarov told journalists at the World Atomic Week in Moscow on Sep. 26 that the general contractor is progressing with the Paks II nuclear power plant project as planned, and that the ruling had no impact on the project, adding that the work is “not stopping for a minute.”
To further its nuclear diplomacy, Hungary signed an agreement with China’s atomic energy agency that would open up significant opportunities for cooperation in nuclear energy, safety, and innovation, Szijjártó said in Vienna on Sep. 15. Acknowledging that French, German, Russian, U.S. nuclear players all operate in Hungary and cooperate effectively, he said that “Hungary proves that one of the best fields for reviving civilized East-West cooperation is nuclear energy.” He added that the next decade will clearly be defined by nuclear energy, given rising global electricity demand.
This article was first published in the Budapest Business Journal print issue of October 3, 2025.
Producing journalism that is worthy of the name is a costly business. For over 30 years, the publishers, editors and reporters of the Budapest Business Journal have striven to bring you business news that works, information that you can trust, that is factual, accurate and presented without fear or favor.Newspaper organizations across the globe have struggled to find a business model that allows them to continue to excel, without compromising their ability to perform. Most recently, some have experimented with the idea of involving their most important stakeholders, their readers.
We would like to offer that same opportunity to our readers. We would like to invite you to help us deliver the quality business journalism you require. Hit our Support the BBJ button and you can choose the how much and how often you send us your contributions.
