Oil shipments through the Soviet-era pipeline included both Ukrainian and significantly larger volumes of Russian crude before a Russian strike damaged pumping facilities in western Ukraine last month, three industry sources told Reuters.
Supplies to Hungary and Slovakia have been suspended since January 27 after Kyiv said Moscow targeted infrastructure along the route, triggering fresh tensions inside the European Union. Hungary has since pushed back against new EU sanctions on Russia, citing the disruption.
The use of Druzhba to export Ukrainian oil to EU members had not been previously reported. The halt has deprived Kyiv of export revenues at a time when it is struggling to contain a widening budget deficit, and could eventually force production cuts if prolonged, the sources said.
Ukraine’s energy ministry did not respond to requests for comment. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion four years ago, Kyiv has classified detailed data on oil processing and exports.
Before the war, Ukraine produced about 1.7 million metric tons of oil annually and processed both domestic and imported crude at facilities including the Kremenchuk refinery. Repeated Russian attacks have since destroyed the country’s remaining refining capacity, pushing traders to increase fuel imports.
With no functioning refineries, Ukraine was left with exports as its only outlet for crude, and Druzhba became the sole viable route. Around 40,000 metric tons per month were injected into the pipeline at Brody prior to the January strike, one source said.