Moscow – Russia has condemned ongoing Ukrainian strikes on the Druzhba oil pipeline, one of the world’s longest energy networks, calling the actions “acts of terrorism.” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Monday that attacks on energy infrastructure are considered terrorist acts under international law, yet Western governments continue to ignore them.

The Druzhba pipeline, built in the 1960s and stretching 4,000 kilometers, supplies Russian and Kazakh oil to refineries in Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Germany, and Poland. Hungary and Slovakia, both heavily dependent on Russian oil, were the only EU states to openly denounce the strikes.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky added to tensions over the weekend, suggesting that future friendship with Hungary hinged on Budapest’s political stance. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban interpreted the remark as a direct threat, accusing Kiev of using energy supplies as leverage to push Hungary toward supporting Ukraine’s EU membership bid.

Relations between Hungary and Ukraine have worsened in recent years, with disputes over sanctions, military aid, and the treatment of the Hungarian minority in Western Ukraine. Slovakia has also criticized the attacks, describing them as a serious risk to regional energy security.

Since the war escalated in February 2022, Ukrainian forces have targeted multiple Russian energy facilities, including pipelines such as Druzhba and TurkStream, as well as nuclear power plants, raising wider concerns over European energy stability.