Ukraine offers EU alternative oil route after Druzhba pipeline damage

Ukraine has proposed redirecting oil supplies to Hungary and Slovakia through alternative routes within its pipeline network after sections of the Druzhba pipeline were damaged during a Russian strike.

The initiative was outlined in a February 20, 2026, letter from Ukraine’s mission to the European Union to the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Energy, according to documents reviewed by European Pravda. Kyiv suggested temporarily using the Odesa–Brody pipeline while repair work on Druzhba continues.

The letter states that “as a result of targeted attacks carried out by the aggressor state on January 27, 2026, significant damage was inflicted on elements of Ukraine’s oil pipeline system, including technological and auxiliary equipment of the Druzhba oil pipeline.”

Ukrainian diplomats informed EU officials that engineers are conducting detailed inspections of the damaged infrastructure and evaluating how quickly oil transit operations can be restored along the affected route.

The document adds that “efforts are ongoing to inspect damaged elements, stabilise the technical condition of the system and eliminate the consequences of the enemy strike,” stressing that reliable operation of Ukraine’s pipeline network depends on the cessation of “massive missile and drone attacks aimed at destroying Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.”

It also notes that repair crews are “forced to carry out emergency restoration work while risking their own lives.”

As part of broader efforts to safeguard European energy security, Kyiv proposed two possible solutions: transporting oil through Ukraine’s functioning pipeline system or delivering supplies by sea, followed by transhipment at ports and onward transportation via the Odesa–Brody pipeline to EU member states.

By Tamilla Hasanova