Blasts hit Romanian, Hungarian oil refineries tied to Russia

Explosions occurred at oil refineries in Romania and Hungary on the evening of Oct. 20, both of which have links to Russia, local media reported on Oct. 21.

Russian oil remains a key source of revenue for Moscow's war effort in Ukraine. Despite the European Union's push to fully phase out Russian energy, several member states continue to receive supplies.

A midday explosion occurred at the Petrotel-Lukoil refinery in Ploiesti, southern Romania, on Oct. 20.

The facility, owned by a subsidiary of Lukoil, one of Russia's largest privately owned oil and gas companies, had reportedly been offline since Oct. 17 due to a planned technical inspection, according to Hungarian newspaper Vilaggazdasag.