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Russia’s “only oil pipeline to the EU” is engulfed in flames: Germany, Austria and Hungary are worried “fever”

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The fire at the Russian oil depot could be a big worry for German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (Image: Getty)

A fire broke out on the morning of April 25 at an oil depot in Bryansk, a large Russian city about 150km from Ukraine and 370km southwest of Moscow.

The fire broke out at a facility operated by Transneft-Druzhba JSC, officials told RIA Novosti. No casualties were recorded and there was no threat to residential buildings, the Emergencies Department advised.

“We have no plans to evacuate people. According to preliminary information, there are no victims,” ​​the airline’s press service said, according to TASS.

Another fire was recorded in the city’s Fokinsky district, the cause of which has yet to be determined, the Moscow Daily Kommersant reported. Bryansk is home to more than 400,000 people and is an important regional center.

An Interfax source revealed that a 10,000-ton diesel fuel tank caught fire. State-owned Rossiya-24 television said the second fire broke out at a diesel fuel depot in a military unit.

Some reports indicate that this could be an attack by Ukrainian forces on the Druzhba pipeline, which brings oil from Russia to Europe via Ukraine and Belarus.

NATO expert Thomas C Theiner wrote: “If this fire broke out at the pumping station of the Druzhba oil pipeline… the only Russian oil pipeline to Europe would be destroyed. This means Germany. , Austria and Hungary will not have Russian oil. And this will also shut down Russia’s main oil depot at Ust-Luga.”

The Druzhba pipeline, 5,500km long, bringing crude oil from Siberia, the Ural and Caspian Sea to several European countries, runs through Mozyr in Belarus, where it splits into two northern and southern branches.

The northern branch continues through Belarus and Poland to Germany. While the southern branch runs through Ukraine, then delivers oil to Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary through various routes.

Although this pipeline is responsible for transporting up to 1.2-1.4 million barrels of oil per day into Europe, in reality it is not the main route for Russian oil to enter Europe.

Instead, most imports from Russia into Europe are done through tankers and ports.

About 70% to 85% of Russia’s crude oil arrives via western ports on the Baltic and Black Seas.

Every quarter, part of Russia’s oil will also pass through Arctic waters.

In 2019, the part of oil passing through the Druzhba pipeline accounted for 4% to 8% of the total crude oil imports of the European Union (EU).

On April 25, the EU considered a new sanctions against Russia, especially in the oil sector. However, Germany, Hungary, and Austria have opposed the sanctions on Russian oil.

A group of 50 European parliamentarians sent German Chancellor Olaf Scholz an angry letter demanding German concessions and permission to impose an immediate ban on oil imports from Russia.

Meanwhile, Hungarian President Viktor Orban said bans on oil and gas extraction from Russia were a “red line” as they would “kill Hungary”.

Austrian Finance Minister Magnus Brunner said his country was “resisting sanctions in the oil and gas sector”.

Russian President Vladimir Putin earns billions of euros from oil exports to the EU. Last year, Moscow earned 48.5 billion euros for crude oil and 22.5 billion euros for non-crude oil.

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