(Reuters) -Oil is flowing to Slovakia again via the Druzhba pipeline, the Slovak economy ministry said late on Tuesday, after a Ukrainian drone strike on an oil pumping station in Russia’s Tambov region cut off supplies.
Ukraine has stepped up attacks on Russia’s energy infrastructure, a key conduit for generating money for Kremlin’s war efforts, with oil and gas sales accounting for a quarter of Russia’s total state budget proceeds.
Unlike most other European Union countries, Slovakia and neighbouring Hungary have kept up their dependence on Russian energy and get most of their crude through the Druzhba pipeline.
“The flow of oil to Slovakia is currently standard,” Economy Minister Denisa Sakova said in a statement.
“In the coming days, we will have clearer information about whether there will be any adjustments to the supply schedule for this month … However, I believe that given the rapid resumption of flow through the Druzhba pipeline, the impact will be minimal.”
It was not immediately clear if flows to Hungary had resumed.
Oil flows via the Soviet-built Druzhba pipeline were also briefly suspended in March following a Ukrainian attack on a metering station.
(Reporting by Alan Charlish; Editing by Himani Sarkar and Tom Hogue)