Ukrainian Drones Halt Druzhba Oil Pipeline Supplying Europe

The Druzhba oil pipeline, which supplied oil from Russia to Europe – including Hungary and Slovakia – has completely ceased operations following a Ukrainian drone strike.

Commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ Unmanned Systems Forces, Robert ‘Madyar’ Brovdi, reported that one of the key oil-pumping stations along the route – Nikolskoye-1 in Russia’s Tambov region – had been destroyed by drones of the 14th Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Regiment.

The General Staff of Ukraine also reported the station’s shutdown in its August 18th briefing, and Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó confirmed the suspension of oil deliveries on his Facebook page, harshly criticizing Ukraine’s actions.

In response, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha stated that Budapest had deliberately maintained its dependence on Russian energy resources despite years of warnings – and now should’ve directed its complaints “to its friends in Moscow.”

NASA’s Firms monitoring service recorded several fire outbreaks at the station’s site around 2 a.m.

Nikolskoye-1

The Nikolskoye-1 station is located near the settlement of Sestrenka-Kugushevo, approximately 400 kilometers from the front line.

It is one of the key stations of the Druzhba oil pipeline, which spans roughly 5,500 kilometers.

The station facilitated the pumping of petroleum products within Russia’s Central Federal District and onward toward Europe.

The facility is owned by the Russian Transneft state-controlled company.

Its capacity exceeded 104 million tonnes of oil and petroleum products per year – equivalent to around 300,000 tonnes per day.

The station handled the transportation not only of crude oil but also of jet fuel, diesel, gasoline, and fuel oil, featuring its own tanks and modern pumping systems.

According to Russian sources, the station was undergoing modernization: at the end of July 2025, another upgrade of its safety systems was completed, including the replacement of safety valves.