Russia is set to halt oil exports from Kazakhstan to Germany via the Druzhba pipeline from 1 May, three industry sources told Reuters, in a move that threatens supplies to one of Germany’s largest refineries.
The sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said an adjusted export schedule had already been sent to Kazakhstan and Germany. Russia’s energy ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he was unaware of any such move and would seek to verify the information.
Kazakhstan exported 2.146 million metric tons of oil — around 43,000 barrels per day — to Germany via the Druzhba pipeline in 2025, a 44% increase on the previous year. The supplies travel via the pipeline’s northern spur through Poland to Germany’s PCK refinery in Schwedt, one of the country’s largest, which has relied on Kazakh crude since Russian oil deliveries were halted following the outbreak of the Ukraine conflict in 2022.
Russia’s political and business relations with Germany have deteriorated sharply since the Ukraine war, with Berlin backing Kyiv. Germany placed the local units of Russian oil giant Rosneft under trusteeship in 2022, upending decades of energy ties between the two countries. Supplies via Druzhba have also been repeatedly disrupted by Ukrainian drone strikes on the pipeline inside Russia.
(Reuters)