The Druzhba Oil Pipeline
Kartavya Desk Staff
Source: RT
Subject: Mapping
Context: The Druzhba oil pipeline is at the center of a geopolitical standoff following a complete halt in flows due to drone attacks, leading Hungary and Slovakia to veto new EU sanctions on Russia.
About The Druzhba Oil Pipeline:
What it is?
• The Druzhba Pipeline (translating to Friendship in English) is one of the world’s longest and largest crude oil pipeline networks.
• Established during the Soviet era, it serves as the primary artery for transporting Russian and Kazakh oil to the industrial heartlands of Central and Eastern Europe.
Located In:
• The network originates in Almetyevsk, Tatarstan (Russia), where it collects oil from Western Siberia, the Urals, and the Caspian Sea.
• It spans approximately 4,000 kilometers, crossing the Russia-Belarus border before splitting into two massive branches.
States/Countries it Goes Through:
• Russia: The starting point and primary source.
• Belarus: The central transit hub at Mazyr where the line splits.
• Northern Branch: Travels through Poland to reach Germany.
• Southern Branch: Travels through Ukraine to supply Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic.
Historical Branches: Connected to Lithuania and Latvia (currently inactive).
• The pipeline was originally constructed in the 1960s to establish friendly relations through the reliable supply of cheap energy from the Soviet Union to its Eastern European allies.
• Today, its aim remains the provision of energy security to landlocked Central European nations that lack easy access to seaborne oil.
Key Features:
• Massive Scale: The system crosses 45 major rivers and over 200 railways and highways.
• Two-Pronged Distribution: Northern Branch: Supplies refineries in Płock (Poland) and Schwedt (Germany). Southern Branch: Connects to the Odesa-Brody pipeline and supplies the Duna (Hungary) and Tisza refineries.
• Northern Branch: Supplies refineries in Płock (Poland) and Schwedt (Germany).
• Southern Branch: Connects to the Odesa-Brody pipeline and supplies the Duna (Hungary) and Tisza refineries.
• Capacity: At its peak, it pumped over 1 million barrels per day, accounting for roughly 1% of the total global oil supply.
• Strategic Bypass: Russia built the BPS-2 (Baltic Pipeline System) to reduce reliance on the Druzhba transit through Belarus and Ukraine.