Druzhba Pipeline
Architecture and Strategic Significance
The Druzhba pipeline (meaning "friendship" in Russian) is the world's longest oil pipeline network, stretching approximately 5,500 km from Russia westward through Belarus and Ukraine into Central and Western Europe. It has supplied Russian crude to European refineries since 1964, making several EU economies structurally dependent on it — a dependency the EU has been trying to reduce since the 2022 Ukraine war, but with varying success.
- Druzhba pipeline: built 1960s, approximately 5,500 km length
- Northern branch: Russia → Belarus → Poland and Germany
- Southern branch: Russia → Ukraine → Slovakia, Hungary, Czech Republic
- Daily capacity: approximately 1.2-1.4 million barrels/day at peak
- Hungary's refiner: MOL Group (Százhalombatta refinery) — heavily dependent on Druzhba crude, with limited infrastructure to easily switch to sea-borne alternatives
- Slovakia's situation: similar dependence; Bratislava refinery run by Slovnaft (MOL subsidiary)
- Post-2022: EU banned seaborne Russian oil but granted a "pipeline exemption" specifically for Hungary, Slovakia, and Czech Republic
● Tracked since February 21, 2026 · last seen March 06, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes
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