Ukraine Hits Druzhba Pipeline Again, Marking Fifth Attack This Year, Intelligence Reveals

This week, Ukraine’s military targeted the Druzhba oil pipeline within Russia, according to military intelligence officials in Kyiv who informed media sources on Wednesday. This marks the fifth instance of an assault on this crucial supply line this year.

The operation focused on the Taganrog-Lipetsk segment in Russia’s Tambov region, utilizing a remote-controlled explosive device, as reported by sources from Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) to Reuters and The Kyiv Independent.

Meanwhile, Slovakia and Hungary are still dependent on the southern branch of Druzhba, which currently operates under temporary exemptions from EU sanctions granted following Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Despite this latest attack, both the Slovak pipeline operator and the Hungarian energy firm MOL confirmed that oil deliveries were proceeding without issues on Wednesday. Russian authorities have yet to make any public statements regarding the alleged explosion.

Since the summer, Ukraine has ramped up its assaults on Russian energy facilities in a bid to diminish Moscow’s oil income, a vital funding source for its military campaign. November alone witnessed a record high, with at least 14 drone strikes targeting Russian oil refineries, as reported by Bloomberg.

A source from HUR told The Kyiv Independent that these strikes represent Ukraine’s response to ongoing Russian attacks on its energy infrastructure.

“The Russian oil network, being the primary revenue stream for the aggressor state and its military-industrial complex, will continue to face explosions and fires until the enemy ceases its attempts to attack Ukraine,” the source noted.