MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Friday, 6 March 2026 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Thursday, 5 March): BRATISLAVA - The Slovak Information Service (SIS) claims that no damage occurred to the Druzhba oil pipeline in Ukraine on 27 January that would have prevented the transport of oil to Slovakia and Hungary, TASR was told by SIS spokesperson Natalia Holubova on Thursday. According to the service, intelligence findings are supported by satellite images from the site of the incident. SIS claims that the satellite images confirm the relevance of statements by representatives of the Slovak government that the nature of "the halt to oil transit to the territory of Slovakia is not technical but political". The images were obtained on 21 February and 1 March. BRATISLAVA - On 27 January, a Russian drone struck an oil tank at the Druzhba oil pipeline facility, targeting the largest oil reservoir in Europe, which has a capacity of up to 75,000 cubic metres of oil, the Ukrainian Embassy in Bratislava stated on Thursday in response to previous claims by the Slovak Intelligence Service (SIS) that the Druzhba pipeline hadn't been damaged, which, according to SIS, is proven by satellite images from the site of the incident. "At the time of the intervention, there were approximately 25,000 cubic metres of oil in the tank. The intervention caused a large fire, which firefighters spent ten days extinguishing. To prevent an even greater technological and ecological disaster, it was necessary to urgently pump part of the oil from the tank, which was practically boiling, into the pipeline directly during the fire," said Yelyzaveta Derevynska from the Ukrainian Embassy in Bratislava. According to her, several elements of the technological equipment, power cables, transformers, and the leak detection system, which ensures the tightness of the pipeline, were damaged. BRATISLAVA - The only country of the European Union currently blocking a €90-billion loan for Ukraine is Hungary, but Hungary and Slovakia share the same problems with oil supplies through the Druzhba pipeline, and so Hungary mustn't remain isolated, stated the coalition Slovak National Party (SNS) on Thursday, calling on Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) to express Slovakia's stance. "The Slovak National Party also appreciates that the government has finally, after almost four days, resolutely ordered the management of the Slovak Electricity Transmission System (SEPS) to stop balancing electricity on Ukraine's energy grid. Nevertheless, the Slovak National Party regrets that electricity supplies weren't blocked, as the prime minister had clearly declared," the party said in a statement, as reported by its spokesperson Zuzana Skopcova. According to Skopcova, SNS is also convinced that no agreement is possible without pressure on Ukraine. It therefore considers it to be a mistake that no negotiations and inspection of the Druzhba pipeline on Ukrainian territory has taken place, as was offered to the Slovak prime minister by the Ukrainians. BRATISLAVA - The fifth repatriation flight, which was supposed to carry additional Slovak nationals from Muscat in Oman to Slovakia on Thursday, cannot take place, the Slovak Foreign Affairs Ministry has informed TASR. The reason is the limited aircraft handling capacity at Muscat airport, as a result of which the Omani authorities announced on Thursday morning that no new aircraft can be accepted until further notice and that the number of permitted flights has been reduced significantly. "The restriction was caused by delayed flights and aircraft waiting for passengers who have been stranded at the border between Oman and the United Arab Emirates, where queues lasting several hours have formed," explained the ministry. The ministry said that it's actively communicating with the respective authorities and doing its utmost to obtain permission from the Omani side for the repatriation aircraft to land and be processed as soon as possible. "Slovak citizens who should have been repatriated on this flight have already been informed of the situation, and we'll let them know immediately if permission is granted by the Omani authorities. In light of this new situation, we recommend that Slovak nationals, if they have the opportunity to use a commercial flight operated by an airline whose aircraft is already in Oman, should make use of this alternative," added the ministry. BRATISLAVA - President Peter Pellegrini has concluded disciplinary proceedings against Slovak Intelligence Service (SIS) head Pavol Gaspar in connection with a traffic accident last year, imposing a 15-percent salary deduction for a period of one month. According to a statement made by Pellegrini on Thursday, Gaspar respects the decision and won't be lodging an appeal. "Within disciplinary proceedings, the president has the following options: the matter at hand can be resolved with a reprimand or with salary deductions of up to 15 percent of the salary for a maximum of three months. The president may also decide to impose a ban on activities or to confiscate an asset. These are roughly the limits within which the president's decision in such disciplinary proceedings may fall," explained the head of state. MARTIN - The construction of the new St. Martin's University Hospital in Martin (Zilina region) has reached a significant milestone with the installation of the ceiling slab of the seventh above-ground floor. The investor celebrated reaching the building's highest point with the contractor on Thursday in the traditional manner: with the placing of a topping-out beam. The ceremony was also attended by President Peter Pellegrini and Health Minister Kamil Sasko (Voice-SD). In his speech, the president noted that he had returned to the construction site after something over a year and that the progress made has been enormous. "With this moment, this construction project has become the leader among all ongoing large-scale state-run hospital projects. It's the building project that has made the most headway so far and is closest to meeting the milestones set not only in the schedule of the construction work itself but also in the recovery plan, as this part of the building is covered by EU money," stressed Pellegrini. ko