TheDruzhba pipeline (Russian:нефтепровод «Дружба»,Czech:Ropovod Družba), also referred to as theFriendship Pipeline and theComecon Pipeline, is one of the world's longestoil pipelines and one of the largest oil pipeline networks in the world. It began operation in 1964 and remains in operation today. It carries oil over 4,000 kilometres (2,500 mi) from the eastern part of EuropeanRussia to points inUkraine,Belarus,Poland,Hungary,Slovakia, theCzech Republic andGermany.[1][obsolete source] The network also branches out into numerous smaller pipelines to deliver its product throughout Eastern Europe and beyond.
The name "Druzhba" means "friendship", alluding to the fact that the pipeline established friendly relations between theSoviet Union and Eastern Europe through the reliable supply of oil. Today, it is the largest principal artery for the transportation of Russian and Kazakh[2] oil across Europe.
In August 2025, as part of its defense against theRussian invasion of Ukraine Ukraine's armed forces bombed two pumping stations of the pipeline, causing it to temporarily halt operations.
On 18 December 1958, the 10th session of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (Comecon), held inPrague, adopted a decision and an agreement was signed on construction of a trunk crude oil pipeline from the USSR into Poland,Czechoslovakia,GDR andHungary.[3] The construction of the initially proposed 5,327 kilometres (3,310 mi) long pipeline commenced in 1960.[4] Each country was to supply all necessary construction materials, machinery and equipment. Czechoslovakia received first oil in 1962, Hungary in September 1963, Poland in November 1963, and the GDR in December 1963. The whole pipeline was put into operation in October 1964. The first oil pumped through the Druzhba pipeline originated from the oil fields inTatarstan and Samara (Kuybyshev) Oblast. In the 1970s, the Druzhba pipeline system was further enlarged with the construction of geographically parallel lines.[5]
Following the 2022Russian invasion of Ukraine, the northern route to Germany was closed with Germany ceasing to buy oil in January 2023 and Russia ceasing to supply oil to Poland in February 2023.[6][7] From December 2023, following agreements, Germany began importing 1.2 million tons of oil per year fromKazakhstan using the northern pipeline.[8]In July 2024, the government of Ukraine stopped the transportation of Lukoil oil through the Druzhba pipeline to Slovakia and Hungary.[9][10]
On 12 August 2025, Ukrainian drones attacked theUnecha junction and pumping station of the Druzhba pipeline inBryansk Oblast, Russia causing fire detected byNASA'sFIRMS.[11][12] Five days later theGeneral Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces announced that theirUAVs had struck the Nikolskoye pumping station of the Druzhba pipeline, documented with satellite imagery from NASA's FIRMS. This second strike reportedly caused a complete halt of the Druzhba pipeline.[13] On 21 August Ukrainian drones again attacked the Unecha hub and pumping station, again causing a halt of operations of the pipeline.[14][15]
The pipeline begins atAlmetyevsk inTatarstan, where it collects oil from westernSiberia, theUrals, and theCaspian Sea. It runs toMazyr in southernBelarus, where it splits into a northern and southern branch. The northern branch crosses the remainder of Belarus acrossPoland toSchwedt inGermany.[3] It supplies refineries inPłock and in Schwedt. The northern branch is also connected by the Płock–Gdańsk pipeline with theNaftoport terminal inGdańsk, which is used for oil re-exports.[16] In Schwedt, the Druzhba pipeline is connected with the MVL pipeline toRostock andSpergau.The southern branch runs south throughUkraine. InBrody, the Druzhba pipeline is connected with theOdesa–Brody pipeline, which is currently used to ship oil from the Druzhba pipeline to theBlack Sea. InUzhhorod, the pipeline splits into lines toSlovakia (Druzhba-1 — original Druzhba route) and to Hungary (Druzhba-2). The line through Slovakia is divided once again nearBratislava: one branch leading in a northwest direction to theCzech Republic and the other going southward toHungary. The Druzhba-1 pipeline branches off toward Hungary inBanská Bystrica Region (Slovakia) near the river ofIpeľ, crosses the Hungarian border atDrégelypalánk and leads toSzázhalombatta (not depicted on the map at the beginning of the page).[3] In Hungary, the Druzhba-1 pipeline supplies the Duna refinery while Druzhba-2 supplies Duna and Tisza refineries.[17]
TheORLEN Lietuva inLithuania andVentspils oil terminal inLatvia are connected to the main pipeline by the branch pipeline from theUnecha junction inBryansk Oblast (not shown on the map). This branch ceased operation in 2006 and is not likely to become operational again any time soon.
The part of the Druzhba pipeline system which runs via Belarus is 2,910 kilometres (1,810 mi) long. The length of the pipeline in Ukraine is 1,490 kilometres (930 mi), in Poland 670 kilometres (420 mi), in Hungary 130 kilometres (80 mi), in Lithuania 332 kilometres (206 mi), in Latvia 420 kilometres (261 mi), and in Slovakia and in the Czech Republic together around 400 kilometres (250 mi).[3][18] The pipeline crosses 45 major rivers as well as 200 railways and highways.[4]
The Baltic Pipeline System-2 (BPS-2) is a pipeline from theUnecha junction of the Druzhba pipeline near the Russia–Belarus border to theUst-Luga oil terminal at the eastern part of theGulf of Finland with a 172 kilometres (107 mi) long branch line toKirishi oil refinery.[19] The throughput capacity of BPS-2 is 50 million tonnes of oil annually.[20] The construction of the BPS-2 started on 10 June 2009.[21] The BPS-2 was completed in 2011 and began to function in late March 2012.[22]
The pipes for the project were manufactured in the Soviet Union and Poland, while fittings were manufactured in Czechoslovakia. The GDR was responsible for pumps, and Hungary for automation and communication equipment. The construction cost nearly 400 million rubles and nearly 730,000 tons of pipe was laid throughout the path of the pipeline.[4] The Druzhba pipeline currently has a capacity of 1.2 to 1.4 million barrels per day (190×10^3 to 220×10^3 m3/d). Work is currently underway to increase this in the section between Belarus and Poland. The pipe diameter of the pipeline varies from 420 to 1,020 millimetres (17 to 40 in).[5] It uses 20 pumping stations.
The Russian part of the pipeline is operated by the oil companyTransneft through its subsidiaryTransneft Druzhba. The operator in Belarus is Gomeltransneft Druzhba, in UkraineUkrTransNafta, in PolandPERN Przyjazn SA, in SlovakiaTranspetrol AS, in the Czech Republic Mero, and in HungaryMOL.[23]
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The Druzhba–Adria Pipeline Integration Project was a proposal that was considered in the 2000s to extend the pipeline to pass throughHungary andCroatia to reach theAdriatic Sea at the deep-water port ofOmišalj. In the first phase, the Croatian portion of theAdria pipeline would be reconstructed from theSisak pumping station to Omišalj harbour. The Croatian companyJANAF was responsible for the design of the initial project phase, to reverse the phases of the Adria pipeline (which currently carries oil from the port inland) on the Sisak-Omišalj portion.
It was also proposed to connect Druzhba Adria with the plannedPan-European Pipeline.[24]
The proposal was touted by the Croatian presidentStipe Mesić, but it also garnered a lot of negative press due to complaints from theenvironmentalist groups such as EkoKvarner, and was eventually abandoned.
The Schwechat–Bratislava two-way oil pipeline project was proposed in 2003. It would allow to supply the OMV owned Schwechat Refinery from the Druzhba pipeline.[23]
For the last several[which?] years, Russia and Ukraine have been tied up in transit fee disputes as the major pipelines supplying Europe with Russian oil and gas run through Ukraine. Thecontinuous disputes were primarily based on transit ofnatural gas. On 28 December 2009, referring to Russia's announcement, Slovakian government said Russia issued warnings that it would stop oil supplies to Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic over a transit fees dispute with Ukraine.[25] However, the next day, Ukraine'sNaftogas issued a statement confirming that Russia agreed to a 30 percent increase in the transit fees through Ukraine. The alleged rise in the tariff will be from $7.8 to $9.50 (or €6.6) per tonne of oil for transiting Ukraine in 2010, and this was implemented due to the decision from Russia to raise prices of the energy resources. Additionally, unlike previous payments, new payments will be made inEuros, as this was one of Ukraine's demands. Also, Ukraine needs substantial investments to update the network on its territory as the pipeline has aged. Russia and Ukraine also agreed on the volume of oil to be transported through Ukraine in 2010. The overall amount of oil to be transported to Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary through Ukraine in 2010 will be 15 million tonnes, a decrease from 17.1 million tonnes in 2008.[26][needs update]
The delivery of oil was halted on 20 April 2019 due to high concentrations of organic chloride found in the pipeline. These chemical compounds contaminated the pipeline and equipment in Russia and Europe causing an economic impact of billions of dollars. Investigation into the scandal is ongoing with individuals being detained in Russia suspected of having stolen oil and pouring in organochloride to the pipeline to cover up the theft.[27][28]
Disputes over payment for contaminated oil were ongoing a month later.[29]
By late May, a month after the contamination was discovered, Russia agreed to take back some of the 8-9m tons of contaminated oil remaining in the pipeline.[30][31]
Estimates of overall contaminated stock, including that still in the pipeline and other stock pumped to tankers or to storage range from 20-40m tons as of end May. This stock will all require dilution before it can be refined.[32]
In mid-September 2019, almost five months after the contamination was noticed, the Polish pipeline operator confirmed their section of the pipeline had been cleared of contamination and was operating normally. 450,000 tons of contaminated oil had been moved to storage.[33]
Also in September 2019, oil companies BP and Total were trying to sell 2.3m barrels (over 300,000 tons) of tainted oil that they had received earlier from the pipeline.[34]
In February 2020, Belarus threatened to take oil from the Druzhba pipeline if Russia did not supply it with the required volumes ofcrude oil. As of February 2022,Russian oil supplies to Belarus had not been agreed to for 2020 and shipments had dwindled to 500,000 tonnes, down from a previously planned[when?] 2 million tonnes.[35]Belarusian presidentAlexander Lukashenko said Moscow hinted at an energy supply deal in exchange forBelarus merging with Russia, which caused talks to collapse.[36][37][needs update]
In 2023, apparent classified U.S. intelligence documents released in the2022–2023 Pentagon document leaks included a note of a conversation between the President of Ukraine and Deputy Prime MinisterYulia Svyrydenko in whichVolodymyr Zelensky suggested blowing up the Druzhba pipeline to hit Hungarian industry, asOrbán's government was too friendly towards the Kremlin during theRusso-Ukrainian War.[38]
In 2025 Ukraine attacked the pipeline several times: the Nikolskoje and Unechapump stations in August;[39][40] in September attacks in Russia'sBryansk region,[41][42] as well as on theIlsky Oil Refinery in Russia’sKrasnodar region were reported.[43]
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