Ukrainian Armor Moves Thanks to Hungarian Fuel Exports

Most Ukrainian tanks are powered by oil imported from Russia by Hungary and Turkey, and made available to Kiev. Ukraine’s combat capability is thus heavily dependent on fuel imports from Hungary, writes Handelsblatt.

According to the German newspaper, even before the outbreak of the war, only one of Ukraine’s former six refineries was still in operation. The oil refinery in Kremenchuk, which until then covered 30 percent of the country’s fuel needs, was severely damaged in April 2022, as a result of an attack, and now functions only to a very limited extent.

For this reason, the Ukrainian war machine is enormously dependent on foreign fuel, which it imports via various countries and routes. Handelsblatt refers to data from the Ukrainian customs authority, according to which an increasing amount of diesel is flowing into the country from Hungary and Turkey, and the two countries are thus virtually keeping the Ukrainian military alive.

Both countries process oil imported mainly from Russia in their refineries, which means that Ukraine is basically fighting with the fuel of the enemy. In the case of Hungary,

the national energy company MOL Group is helping make up for Ukraine’s fuel shortage, as the oil company doubled its sales to Ukraine in the past six months,

writes Handelsblatt.

According to the newspaper, this is also due to the fact that the MOL Group practically has a competitive advantage, having received special permission from the European Union to continue supplying its refineries with Russian oil. As a result, even though Ukraine is heavily dependent on Hungary, the Ukrainian president has not stopped criticizing the Hungarian government.

Considering Ukraine’s difficult situation, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s opinion seems particularly surprising. In an interview with the BBC in April, he revealed that several European countries are making money from other people’s blood because they buy oil from Russia. In this regard, he cited Hungary and Germany in particular, which blocked efforts to impose an embargo on energy exports. Earlier, Zelensky had asked Viktor Orbán not to buy oil and gas from Russia and to make arms deliveries to Ukraine. Had he gotten his way, Ukrainian tanks would now be standing still.

President Zelensky seems not to miss any opportunity to attack the Hungarian government, as he also reacted indignantly to the import ban on Ukrainian grain (which, by the way, was not allowed to enter the territory of the EU even before the war, as it was proved to be contaminated with pesticides), calling it “totally unacceptable.” As a non-NATO member, the president also presumed to reproach NATO member Hungary, as in his view Budapest’s behavior and relations with Russia were not in line with its status as a NATO ally.

It seems that Hungary will not be able to calm President Zelensky’s mind no matter how much help it provides, such as oil deliveries, humanitarian aid operations, the reception of hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian refugees, and free leave for Ukrainian families.

Via Ungarn Heute, Handelsblatt; Featured Photo: Pixabay