Orban Does Not Rule Out That Fire at MOL Refinery Caused by External Factor
An engineer of the Hungarian Oil and Gas Company (MOL) checks the receiving area of the Druzhba (Friendship) oil pipeline in the country’s largest oil refinery in Szazhalombata, south of Budapest, Hungary. File ph
MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Thursday that the investigation into the fire at the MOL refinery in Szazhalombatta was underway, not ruling out that the incident was caused by an external factor. “Last evening, I heard the Interior Minister’s report on the incident at the Szazhalombatta oil refinery. The investigation is in full swing. We do not yet know what caused it: an accident, a malfunction, or an external attack,” Orban said on social media.The MOL refinery in Szazhalombatta, located about 30 kilometers south of Budapest on the banks of the Danube, is one of Hungary’s five most strategic industrial facilities and operates primarily on Russian crude. The refinery supplies fuel to several Central European countries, including Slovakia. A major fire broke out at the site on the night of October 21, leading to a reduction in production.
AnalysisRefinery Fires in Europe Are Part of EU Crusade Against Russian Oil and Gas23 October, 16:22 GMT Orban noted that Poland’s foreign minister had earlier suggested that Ukraine should target the Druzhba oil pipeline, adding, “Let’s hope that doesn’t happen.” He also said gasoline prices had already risen following the incident and instructed Economy Minister Marton Nagy to meet with MOL executives, emphasizing that the company must not offset losses by raising consumer fuel prices.The cause of the blaze remains under investigation, but suspicions of possible sabotage emerged immediately, given previous Ukrainian drone and missile strikes on the Druzhba pipeline infrastructure aimed at disrupting the flow of Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia. Ukraine, together with Brussels, has been pressuring both Budapest and Bratislava to abandon Russian oil and gas supplies.
