Belgrade Believes Druzhba Pipeline Accident Continuation of Nord Stream Events

BELGRADE (Sputnik) - Reports about a leak on the Druzhba oil pipeline and other problems around Russian oil supplies look like a continuation of the events on the Nord Stream gas pipeline as part of an energy war, Serbian Mining and Energy Minister Zorana Mihajlovic said on Wednesday.

"What we all need to know is that there is a world energy war going on. It is still not a world war as we imagine it, without nuclear weapons, but this is a world energy war. What is happening in connection with the Druzhba oil pipeline, which is the most longest in the world ... looks like a continuation of what happened on the Nord Stream gas pipeline," Mihajlovic said in a statement.

Earlier in the day, Polish operator PERN stated that it had detected a leak in the Druzhba pipeline service. The fire brigade was immediately rushed to the site to assess the situation, secure the area and begin restoration work, the statement read. Meanwhile, the oil is supplied to the German refineries "taking into account technical capabilities".

At the same time, the operator estimated that it will take a few more hours to remove oil that had leaked out from the damaged pipeline, after which an investigation into possible causes will be carried out.

Druzhba ("Friendship") is one of the biggest pipeline systems in the world, and serves as the largest supply way for oil transports from Russia and Kazakhstan to points in Ukraine, Belarus, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Austria and Germany.