Hungary Sanctions Ukrainian Commander Over Pipeline Attacks

Hungary announced sanctions against a Ukrainian military officer accused of targeting the country’s vital oil supply, escalating tensions between Budapest and Kyiv over Russian energy.

Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó declared that the government would bar Robert Brovdi, a Hungarian-born commander in Ukraine’s armed forces, from entering both Hungary and the Schengen area. Brovdi, widely known by the call sign “Madyar,” leads Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces and was identified as responsible for drone and rocket strikes on the Druzhba (“Friendship”) oil pipeline last week.

“The recent serious air strike on the Druzhba pipeline was an attack on Hungary’s sovereignty,” Szijjártó told reporters in Budapest. “Ukraine is aware that the Druzhba pipeline is essential for Hungary’s energy security. These attacks primarily hurt Hungary and Slovakia, not Russia.” He added that the latest strike was so damaging that repairs nearly forced Budapest to dip into its emergency reserves.

The Druzhba pipeline, which supplies more than half of Hungary’s oil imports, has been targeted multiple times since the summer. On August 13, Szijjártó first urged Ukraine to halt attacks on energy routes, warning they endangered Hungary’s security. While repairs briefly restored oil flows, another round of strikes reignited the dispute. Hungary has since enlisted Slovakia and the United States in its protests.

Brovdi responded defiantly on social media, accusing Hungary of enabling Moscow’s war machine. “You are complicit in the multiplication of blood money,” he wrote, referring to Budapest’s continued reliance on Russian crude. “Shove your sanctions and restrictions on visiting Hungary up your ass,” he added in a Facebook post.

Kyiv promised a firm response. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha‎ vowed “mirror action,” and condemned Hungary’s move as cynical, pointing to Russian strikes that same night that killed at least 12 people in Kyiv and damaged the European Union’s diplomatic offices. “How shameless to post this after a brutal attack by terrorist state Russia,” he wrote on X.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also weighed in, accusing Hungarian officials of systematically undermining Ukraine. “Every day we hear new accusations from Hungary,” Zelenskyy said on X. “Hungarian officials have even attempted to discriminate against members of the Hungarian community in Ukraine for their participation in the defense of our state and our people.”