Sunday, 07 December, 2025
London, UK
Sunday, December 7, 2025 5:27 PM
broken clouds 14.1°C
Condition: Broken clouds
Humidity: 88%
Wind Speed: 27.8 km/h

Orbán muses about ‘external attack’ after Hungarian oil refinery exploded

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said Thursday that last week’s inferno at a Hungarian oil refinery could have been caused by an “external attack,” adding an investigation was still ongoing. 

A blaze broke out last Monday night at the Danube Refinery in Százhalombatta, south of the capital Budapest. The refinery, operated by Hungarian energy company MOL, is the country’s largest and primarily processes crude oil from Russia. 

“The investigation is in full swing,” Orbán wrote on social media. “We do not yet know whether it was an accident, a malfunction, or an external attack.” 

His public musing about possible sabotage contradicts MOL, which last week said there was no evidence of an attack.  

“The Polish foreign minister advised the Ukrainians to blow up the Druzhba oil pipeline,” Orbán added. “Let’s hope it’s not that kind of case.” 

He was apparently referring to Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski’s remarks on social media last week that he hoped Kyiv “finally succeeds in knocking out” the strategically important pipeline, which feeds Russian oil into Hungary. 

Budapest has come under criticism from Ukraine and its allies for continuing to import Russian oil throughout Moscow’s war, even as the rest of the EU has largely weaned off the Kremlin’s energy. 

The Hungarian leader has argued that Budapest has no choice but to rely on Russia for cheap oil and gas due to its landlocked geography, insisting prices would explode for consumers otherwise and even vowing to circumvent U.S. sanctions on Russian oil companies. That’s despite neighboring Croatia’s insistence that it could meet Budapest’s energy needs with its own pipeline.

Orbán added Thursday he had instructed his government to inform MOL that it shouldn’t raise energy prices for consumers in response to the fire at the refinery.  

LP Staff Writers

Writers at Lord’s Press come from a range of professional backgrounds, including history, diplomacy, heraldry, and public administration. Many publish anonymously or under initials—a practice that reflects the publication’s long-standing emphasis on discretion and editorial objectivity. While they bring expertise in European nobility, protocol, and archival research, their role is not to opine, but to document. Their focus remains on accuracy, historical integrity, and the preservation of events and individuals whose significance might otherwise go unrecorded.

Categories

Follow

    Newsletter

    Subscribe to receive your complimentary login credentials and unlock full access to all features and stories from Lord’s Press.

    As a journal of record, Lord’s Press remains freely accessible—thanks to the enduring support of our distinguished partners and patrons. Subscribing ensures uninterrupted access to our archives, special reports, and exclusive notices.

    LP is free thanks to our Sponsors

    Privacy Overview

    Privacy & Cookie Notice

    This website uses cookies to enhance your browsing experience and to help us understand how our content is accessed and used. Cookies are small text files stored in your browser that allow us to recognise your device upon return, retain your preferences, and gather anonymised usage statistics to improve site performance.

    Under EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), we process this data based on your consent. You will be prompted to accept or customise your cookie preferences when you first visit our site.

    You may adjust or withdraw your consent at any time via the cookie settings link in the website footer. For more information on how we handle your data, please refer to our full Privacy Policy