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First estimates of losses from Druzhba oil pipeline incident will be presented on Monday

"The group has already started working. First results will be on Monday," Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak said

Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak Mikhail Metsel/TASS

Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak

© Mikhail Metsel/TASS

ARCHANGELKOYE /Moscow Region /, May 18. /TASS/. A joint working group of Russia and Belarus to assess losses caused by oil contamination in the Druzhba pipeline will present first results on Monday, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak told reporters.

"The group has already started working. First results will be on Monday," Kozak said.

On Thursday, Kozak told reporters that Russia and Belarus had created a working group of eight people to assess losses from oil contamination in the Druzhba oil pipeline. The group comprises representatives of Belarusian company Belneftekhim and Russia’s Energy Ministry.

Druzhba pipeline incident

On April 19, the Belarusian petrochemical company Belneftekhim reported a sharp deterioration in the quality of the Russian oil running through the pipeline. Both Belarusian refineries - the Mozyr refinery (Gomel region) and Naftan (Vitebsk region) - reported the risk of equipment facing damage and almost halved the refining volumes. On April 23, Belarus was forced to halt exports of light oil products to Ukraine, Poland and Baltic countries due to deliveries of poor quality oil.

Poland, Germany, Ukraine and Slovakia suspended crude oil supplies from Russia through the Druzhba oil pipeline. The pollutant was revealed at the Samara-Unecha section.

The Investigative Committee of Russia’s Samara region initiated a criminal case under Part 4 of Art. 215.3 of the Criminal Code("Destruction, damage or putting otherwise into a state unfit for operation of crude-oil pipelines by a group of persons by previous collusion,") Art.210 of the Criminal Code ("Creation of a Criminal Community (Criminal Organization) and Participation Therein") and Art. 158 of the Criminal Code ("Theft").

On Wednesday, Russian oil pipeline operator Transneft promised that supplies of clean oil from Russia via the Druzhba pipeline to Slovakia and Hungary will be resumed on May 21-24.

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