Hungary bans entry of Ukrainian commander over Druzhba Pipeline attack
Hungary has barred the commander of a Ukrainian military unit from entering the country and the wider Schengen Area after Kyiv carried out drone strikes on the Druzhba oil pipeline, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto announced on Aug. 28.
The Druzhba pipeline delivers Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia. Ukrainian forces have hit the system at least three times in recent weeks, disrupting operations. The most recent strike on Aug. 21 targeted the Unecha pumping station in Russia’s Bryansk region, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
Szijjarto did not disclose the commander’s name but described the strike as “an attack on Hungary’s sovereignty” that endangered the country’s energy security. He stressed that Ukraine “knows very well that Druzhba is vital for Hungary and Slovakia, and that such strikes harm us far more than Russia.”
The attacks were carried out by Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, led by Robert Brovdi, known by the call sign Madyar. While Brovdi has acknowledged his unit’s role, the Aug. 21 operation was conducted by the force’s 14th Regiment under a commander identified only by the call sign Charlie.
Kyiv has defended its actions, saying it regularly targets Russian oil infrastructure to cut Moscow’s revenues and weaken its war effort. Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha hit back at Budapest, accusing it of siding with Moscow:
“Peter, if the Russian pipeline is more important to you than the Ukrainian children killed by Russia this morning, this is moral decay,” he wrote on X.
The Druzhba pipeline, one of the world’s largest, remains a key artery for Russian crude to Hungary and Slovakia — the only EU states still importing through the system. In July, Hungary and Slovakia imported $232 million and $196 million worth of Russian oil respectively.
Hungary has consistently opposed EU efforts to fully ban Russian energy imports and has warned it could block Ukraine’s EU membership bid.
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