Coordinated sabotage? Explosions at two key European refineries raise concerns

Suspicious timing of explosions at key refineries in Hungary and Romania fuel sabotage suspicions

By |

Coordinated sabotage? Explosions at two key European refineries raise concerns

Advertisement

Major explosions struck two key oil refineries in Hungary and Romania within hours of each other on Monday, October 20.

Due to the suspicious timing of explosions, there are speculations of coordinated sabotage amid heightened tensions over Europe’s energy reliance on Russia.

The first explosion occurred at the Petrotel-Lukoil refinery in Plioiesti, Romania around 11:30 a.m. local time.

Following the incident, only one injured worker was reported who was injured during maintenance work in the industrial sewerage system.

The Petrotel-Lukoil refinery is one of the largest facilities in Romania and is owned by the Russian company Lukoil.

Hours later, another fire and explosions hit the MOL Danube Refinery in Százhalombatta, Hungary.

Emergency crews contained the blaze timely with no injuries reported.

The refinery is highly significant as it serves as a crucial hub for Hungary and Slovakia, processing crude from the Russian Druzhba pipeline, which suspended operations as investigations began.

Due to the near-simultaneous timing of the incidents with both incidents sharing a similarity of lack of immediate technical explanations, fuel widespread suspicion of deliberate attacks.

The explosions coincided with a pivotal EU move, occurring on the same day that EU energy ministers backed a proposal to phase out Russian energy imports by 2028. 

This plan grants limited exemptions to landlocked nations like Hungary and Slovakia.

The events occur against the backdrop of a secret “war on energy.”

Recently, Ukraine has made a successful operation of long-range drone attacks against Russian refineries, substantially impairing fuel production and export income of Moscow.

Moreover, Ukraine has also been involved in sabotage operations targeting Russian energy infrastructure in countries that are allies, an argument that was brought up in a recent diplomatic dispute between Poland and Germany regarding the 2022 sabotage of the Nord Stream pipeline.

Although in both Romania and Hungary the governments have initiated formal inquiries, and have not mentioned sabotage, the geopolitical background makes it certain that such technical failures will receive investigations as possible incidents of a widening shadow war.

Advertisement