Ukraine has started pumping oil through Druzhba

Druzhba oil pipeline has resumed operation: what is known?

Slovakia has stated that Ukraine has begun pumping oil through the Druzhba pipeline.

According to Censor.NET, citing a report in The Guardian, this was stated by Denisa Saková, Slovakia’s Minister of Economy.

Details

Ukrtransnafta has confirmed that work has begun on "sealing and refilling" the Druzhba pipeline, and supplies to Slovakia are expected to resume on Thursday morning.

Earlier, the Ukrainian company "Ukrtransnafta" officially notified the Hungarian side of the completion of repair work on the "Druzhba" oil pipeline.

What's happening with "Druzhba"?

On January 7, a piece of infrastructure was damaged in Brody, Lviv region, as a result of a Russian attack. Naftogaz reported that the Russian military had attacked a critical infrastructure facility in western Ukraine. A fire broke out, and operations at the facility were halted.
According to the publication Enkorr, the facility in question is located in the city of Brody in the Lviv regionand is connected to the Druzhba oil pipeline.
On February 12, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga stated that Russian oil supplies via the Druzhba pipeline had been suspended since January 27 due to a Russian attack. He also said that Budapest was preparing to lodge a complaint regarding transit issues.
The governments of Hungary and Slovakia have announced a suspension of diesel fuel exports to Ukraine until Russian oil supplies resume via the Druzhba pipeline.
On March 11, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that a group of Hungarian citizens had entered Ukrainian territory without official status or scheduled official meetings.

President Zelenskyy stated that he is unaware of what the Hungarian delegation is doing in Ukraine.
Subsequently, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó accused Zelenskyy of lying and published a Hungarian diplomatic note indicating that Budapest had requested a meeting between Cepec and Ukrainian Minister Denys Shmyhal.
At the same time, the Foreign Ministry's note indicates that the Hungarian side did not coordinate its delegation's visit to the Druzhba oil pipeline with Ukraine and received proposals from Kyiv regarding alternative dates for the visit.
Recently, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the "Druzhba" pipeline would be restored by the end of April, "not fully, but enough to keep it operational."