On 27 January, a Russian drone struck an oil tank at the Druzhba oil pipeline facility, targeting the largest oil reservoir in Europe, which has a capacity of up to 75,000 cubic metres of oil, the Ukrainian Embassy in Bratislava stated on Thursday. The embassy reacted to claims by the Slovak Intelligence Service (SIS) that the Druzhba pipeline hadn't been damaged, which, according to SIS, is proven by satellite images from the site of the incident.
"At the time of the intervention, there were approximately 25,000 cubic metres of oil in the tank. The intervention caused a large fire, which firefighters spent ten days extinguishing. To prevent an even greater technological and ecological disaster, it was necessary to urgently pump part of the oil from the tank, which was practically boiling, into the pipeline directly during the fire," said Yelyzaveta Derevynska from the Ukrainian Embassy in Bratislava.
According to her, several elements of the technological equipment, power cables, transformers, and the leak detection system, which ensures the tightness of the pipeline, were damaged.
However, according to the Ukrainian embassy, the biggest problem was that the flames were so intense that the high temperature of the oil also damaged a significant part of the internal equipment of the pipeline - various sensors and automation elements, without which it is impossible to control the pipeline.
The Slovak Information Service (SIS) claims that no damage occurred to the Druzhba oil pipeline in Ukraine on 27 January that would have prevented the transport of oil to Slovakia and Hungary.
According to the service, intelligence findings are supported by satellite images from the site of the incident.
SIS claims that the satellite images confirm the relevance of statements by representatives of the Slovak government that the nature of "the halt to oil transit to the territory of Slovakia is not technical but political".
The images were obtained on 21 February and 1 March.
"They also show that since the damage to the fuel tank there have been no changes in the condition of the facility, which means that the Ukrainian side has almost certainly not carried out any repair work, and the area shows no visible signs of attempts to remedy the damage," stated SIS spokesperson Natalia Holubova.
According to the Ukrainian Embassy, Ukraine's state energy company Naftogaz is currently working in Ukraine to assess the extent of the damage, i.e., to conduct a detailed inspection of the condition of the pipeline, sensors, and the entire internal infrastructure. Only after this has been completed will the Ukrainian side be able to prepare a budget and determine what resources and how much time will be needed for repairs so that the pipeline can be physically managed and operated again.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at a briefing in Kyiv on Thursday that the Druzhba oil pipeline could be technically ready for operation in a month and a half. Naftogaz CEO Sergii Koretskyi said that the pipeline's main pumping station was damaged in the attack.
Source: TASR
