Ukraine carries out another attack on Russia's Druzhba oil pipeline, media report

Ukraine struck the Druzhba oil pipeline in Russia's Tambov region on Monday, a source in Ukraine's military intelligence service, HUR, told several Ukrainian media outlets. According to Reuters, this is the fifth attack on the pipeline this year. It carries Russian oil to Slovakia and Hungary. Slovak oil transporter Transpetrol has reported no supply disruptions.

According to the newspaper Ukrainska Pravda, the attack on the pipeline took place on December 1 near the village of Kazinskiye Vyselki in the Tambov region, south of Moscow. The HUR source said an explosive device with remote activation and an incendiary mixture was used, which was intended to ensure a more powerful explosion.

Ukrainska Pravda also published a video said to show the explosion on the pipeline. According to the newspaper, local residents posted their own images of the explosion on social media and said it was accompanied by bright flashes.

Slovakia and Hungary still receive oil from Druzhba, and their governments have previously reacted negatively to supply disruptions caused by Ukrainian attacks. It is not yet clear whether or how Monday's attack disrupted supplies. Kyiv also halted the transit of Russian oil through its territory last summer.

Slovak oil transporter Transpetrol said it had recorded no supply disruptions on the Druzhba pipeline. "The situation currently has no impact on oil transit through Slovak territory, and Transpetrol is managing oil transportation for its customer in accordance with its requirements," Transpetrol, which transports oil to Slovakia's only refinery, Slovnaft, told Reuters.

Ukraine, which has been defending itself against large-scale Russian military aggression for a fourth year, is seeking to destroy infrastructure it considers key to Moscow's military efforts. Russian power plants, gas pipelines and oil pipelines have therefore become targets of its attacks.