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).
Aim:
- 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.
- 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.
