Russia Strikes Naftogaz Facility in Western Ukraine

Russia strikes Naftogaz facility in Brody, western Ukraine, targeting key Odessa–Brody pipeline hub, putting pressure on Ukraine and European energy security, EU urges halt of Russian oil transit.

The head of the board ofNaftogaz of Ukraine, Serhiy Koretskyy, confirmed that on the morning of January 27, Russia attacked one of the company’s facilities in western Ukraine.

This was reported by LIGA.net.

“As a result of the strike, a fire broke out on site. For safety reasons, and to protect people and prevent environmental contamination, the company’s specialists immediately shut down the technological processes at the facility. Emergency Service rescuers are working on site,” the top manager stated.

He did not provide any other details, except that this is already the 15th attack on Naftogaz critical infrastructure since the beginning of the month.

According to local authorities, the damaged facility is located in the city of Brody in Lviv region.

As much as Hungarian Prime Minister Orbán tries to please his Moscow master, fulfills all his demands, does not complain that the Druzhba oil pipeline is the only way for Hungary and Slovakia to import oil, and threatens Ukraine with consequences in case of damage — this does not stop Moscow’s Shaheds. Russia itself imposed sanctions on its own oil and pipeline.

The European Union has long demanded the cessation of Russian oil transit through the Druzhba pipeline, which allows the aggressor state to earn billions for its war against Ukraine. Ukrainian authorities have repeatedly emphasized to European partners the need to stop buying oil and other energy resources from the aggressor country, as well as to halt its transportation along the European coast, according to European Solidarity (ES) MP Mykhailo Bondar. 

The strike on Brody is a comprehensive pressure tactic on Ukraine and its European partners

Brody hosts a key logistics hub and a pumping station, which is the endpoint of the Odessa–Brody pipeline. This node is connected to the Druzhba pipeline, enabling strategic oil transportation. Caspian oil is still delivered to Odessa and through Odessa–Brody to the Polish refinery in Adamowa Zastawa, explains military analyst Dmytro Snegiryov.

In 2007, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Poland, and Ukraine established a consortium for transporting Azerbaijani oil. According to this agreement, Caspian oil is transported through Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Ukraine. The route works as follows: Azerbaijani oil is delivered to the Georgian port of Supsa, then by tankers to the Odessa port of Pivdennyi, and further into Europe via the Odessa–Brody pipeline, with reverse deliveries directly to Polish refineries and subsequent shipments to Baltic ports.

This node is therefore critical not only for Ukraine but also for the energy security of European countries — the Baltic states, Poland, and, paradoxically, Belarus. Following past Russian pressure on Belarus and several tariff conflicts, an agreement was reached to supply Belarusian refineries via the Odessa–Brody pipeline, with deliveries transported by rail tanks.

Thus, the strike on Brody is a multi-faceted element of Russian pressure on the fuel and energy infrastructure of several countries simultaneously. This is particularly significant given the throughput capacity of the Odessa–Brody pipeline — up to 15 million tons of oil per year.

Industry publication Enkorr reports that the facility is related to the “Druzhba” oil pipeline, which is used to transport Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia. Previously, there had been no recorded attacks on the Druzhba pipeline infrastructure within Ukraine.

Since January 1, 2025, Ukraine has stopped the transit of Russian gas after the five-year contract between Gazprom and Naftogaz expired. However, the contract for the transit of Russian oil is still valid for another four years: in 2019, Ukrtransnafta and Transneft agreed to extend it for 10 years — from January 1, 2020, to January 1, 2030.

Since December 5, 2022, the European Union has imposed a partial embargo on the import of Russian oil, which so far does not apply to deliveries through the southern branch of the Druzhba pipeline — to Hungary and Slovakia.

EMPR