Ukraine Hits Russian Oil Distribution Pipeline As EU Plans €90bn Support

Ukraine has struck the Druzhba oil pipeline in Russia’s central Tambov region, marking the fifth attack this year on the key energy route that supplies Russian crude to Hungary and Slovakia, a source within Ukraine’s GUR military intelligence told Reuters.

The pipeline, one of Russia’s oldest export arteries to Europe, has remained a repeated target as Ukraine intensifies strikes aimed at degrading Russia’s financial and military infrastructure.

Previous attacks were recorded in March, twice in August, and again in September. Ukrainian media reported that the latest operation involved remote-controlled explosives.

Despite the strike, Hungary’s multinational oil and gas company, MOL and Slovakia’s pipeline operator said oil flows through Druzhba were unaffected. Russia has yet to comment.

Ukraine argues that its operations against Russian energy assets are a direct response to continued Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure and form part of a broader strategy to weaken Moscow’s war effort.

Meanwhile, In Belgium, the European Commission has outlined two options to provide Ukraine with €90bn over the next two years: using proceeds from frozen Russian state assets held in Europe or borrowing on international markets.

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the proposal would cover two-thirds of Ukraine’s financing needs, with international partners expected to supply the rest. She argued that increasing economic pressure remains the EU’s most effective tool to raise the cost of Russia’s actions.

The Commission’s preferred model, described as a “reparations loan”, hinges on the vast Russian assets immobilised across Europe, most of them held by Belgium’s Euroclear.

However, Belgium has expressed strong reservations, warning that several legal and financial risks remain unresolved.

Belgium insists that other EU states must share liability for potential Russian lawsuits and guarantee reimbursement should courts ever rule in Moscow’s favour.

However, Russia has condemned any move to use its frozen assets, calling it theft.

The alternative option, raising the money through the EU budget, would require unanimous support — an uncertain path, given Hungary’s opposition to previous Ukraine funding packages.

The Commission says the asset-based plan can proceed with backing from 15 of the 27 EU member states representing at least 65% of the bloc’s population.

Von der Leyen added that the proposal was “positively received” by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, despite parallel discussions in the United States on a separate 28-point peace framework.