The night of September 6 to 7 brought an escalation of hostilities that extended far beyond the usual front lines and affected important strategic infrastructure on both sides of the conflict.
Ukrainian drones have attacked the Druzhba oil pipeline several times in recent months, this time in the Russian region of Bryansk. According to a statement by the commander of the Ukrainian drone forces, Robert Brovdi, which he posted on the social network Telegram, the attack caused a major fire and damage to the infrastructure, significantly affecting the operation of this important energy link.
The Druzhba pipeline is one of the most important transport corridors for Russian oil supplies to Central Europe, including Hungary and Slovakia, and its damage significantly jeopardizes the energy security of the region, but also of the entire European Union.
Russia has not yet officially commented on the incident, but the attacks on civilian and energy infrastructure represent a further significant escalation of the ongoing conflict.
The Ukrainian attack on Druzhba came just days after a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, at which energy security was a key topic of discussion.
Hungary and Slovakia, which are among the largest consumers of oil via the Druzhba pipeline, had previously expressed concern about the repeated attacks on this infrastructure.
Both countries simultaneously called on the European Commission and the international community to strengthen the protection of energy infrastructure and ensure security of supply.
At the same time as the Ukrainian attack on the Russian oil pipeline, Kiev was the target of nighttime drone attacks by Russian forces. These struck an administrative building in the Pechersk district, which is one of the most important government buildings.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenkova said of the attack: “This is the first time during the war that an important Ukrainian government building has been attacked.”
(reuters, sie)