Oil was boiling: Energy Minister reveals Druzhba pipeline condition after Russian strike
Photo: Denys Shmyhal, Ukraine’s Minister of Energy (facebook.com/KabminUA)
Read also: Druzhba pipeline countdown: How US and EU tighten pressure on Orbán's energy power
Answering a question from an RBC-Ukraine correspondent about the damage to the oil pipeline, the minister said that the high temperatures had damaged a large portion of the internal equipment and sensors.
"You can’t see it from the outside, but it’s a massive amount of work. Right now, Naftogaz (the largest national oil and gas company of Ukraine - ed.) is completing the inspection," Shmyhal said.
According to him, once the inspection is finished, a cost estimate for the repairs will be prepared, along with the timeline and resources needed for the work, as well as the possibility of "continuing to physically operate this pipeline."
Flaming oil was pumped through the pipeline
Shmyhal stated that a Russian drone hit one of the largest storage tanks, which at the time contained 25,000 cubic meters of oil.
"Part of this oil was already being pumped through the pipelines while it was burning in order to prevent a major technological and environmental disaster. The oil was essentially in a boiling state," he said.
Problems with the Druzhba pipeline
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha recently stated that Russia struck the Druzhba oil pipeline. Afterwards, oil transit to Slovakia and Hungary was halted.
On February 27, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán spoke with his Slovak counterpart, Robert Fico. According to Orbán, both prime ministers disagreed with the idea that restoring the Druzhba pipeline was impossible due to technical issues.
Orbán claimed that there are supposedly no technical obstacles, and that the pipeline was closed "exclusively for political reasons."
Earlier, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó stated that Ukraine allegedly demanded money and arms supplies in exchange for restoring the operation of the Druzhba pipeline.
