Russia to Halt Kazakh Oil Transit to Germany via Druzhba Pipeline, Confirming Threat to Berlin Refinery
Russia has communicated its intention to stop the transit of Kazakh crude oil through the Druzhba pipeline to Germany starting May 1, 2026, according to a statement from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. The notification, delivered by Rosneft Germany to the Federal Network Agency, cites instructions from the Russian Ministry of Energy, as reported by Deutsche Welle (DW).
Coverage Comparison
The development was first reported by Reuters on Tuesday, April 21, citing multiple industry sources. DW subsequently confirmed the report through an official statement from the German ministry, which noted that "the Russian Federation has not yet confirmed this to the German government." Both DW articles covering the story emphasize the potential impact on Germany's energy security, pointing to the refinery's critical role in supplying Berlin with fuel.
Key Claims
The PCK refinery, located in Schwedt about 100 kilometers north of Berlin, is a key infrastructure asset. According to DW, it supplies more than 90% of the petrol, diesel, and heating fuel for Berlin and the surrounding region. However, the refinery is not entirely dependent on Kazakh crude oil: since 2022, most of its oil has arrived via ports in Rostock and Poland, not through the Druzhba pipeline. DW reports that about 17% of the nearly 12 million metric tons of oil processed annually by the refinery comes via this pipeline.
German ministry officials stated that a halt to Druzhba deliveries would present a major challenge, though they noted that "the cessation of Kazakh oil deliveries to the PCK refinery does not ultimately jeopardize" the refinery's operation. This suggests that alternative supply routes can partially compensate, but the impact is not trivial.
Broader Energy Context
DW's reporting places this move in the context of Russia's broader efforts to use energy exports as leverage. Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russia has repeatedly attempted to weaponize energy exports. The EU's dependency on Russian gas has fallen from 45% of overall gas imports in 2022 to 12% in 2025, and for oil, the figure has dropped from 27% to 2%, according to DW. The REPower EU Regulation aims to completely end imports of Russian oil and gas by 2027.
Benjamin Hilgenstock, a senior economist at the Kyiv School of Economics, told DW that Russia "will continue to threaten Europe's economic and energy security whenever it can." His comments underscore the broader pattern of energy coercion.
Additionally, DW reported that Kazakhstan's Energy Minister, Yerlan Akkenzhenov, suggested that the supply halt could also be due to technical problems caused by Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian energy infrastructure. This alternative explanation remains a single-source claim and has not been independently verified.
Perspectives
The story is primarily framed from a European security perspective, with DW highlighting the risk to Germany's energy supply and describing the move as a potential threat. Russia's own perspective is conveyed through the official notification, but no direct Russian response has been made public. Kazakhstan's view, as expressed by its energy minister, offers a technical explanation that contrasts with the narrative of deliberate energy weaponization. These divergent perspectives underscore the complexity of the situation, where geopolitical motivations and infrastructure damage may intersect.