It’s happened again. The Druzhba pipeline—Russia’s aging oil lifeline to Europe—has gone silent, leaving Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic without their usual crude oil fix. According to sources, the culprit is a “technical issue” at a Russian pumping station in the Bryansk region. Transneft, the pipeline’s operator, has yet to speak on the issue, but Belarus has confirmed the disruption, saying its refineries are dipping into reserves to keep running.
This pipeline, capable of carrying 2 million barrels per day (bpd), has been trucking along with just 300,000 bpd lately, thanks to sanctions and Europe’s pivot from Russian energy. Still, for nations like Hungary and Slovakia—granted waivers by the EU due to their heavy dependency—this hiccup is a headache.
