Russia to Halt Kazakh Oil Flows to Germany via Druzhba Pipeline

Russia will suspend shipments of Kazakh oil to Germany through the Druzhba pipeline starting May 1, 2026, affecting the PCK refinery in Schwedt that supplies over 90% of Berlin's petrol, diesel and heating fuel. The refinery, seized by Germany in 2022 after Russia's Ukraine invasion, processes nearly 12 million metric tons of oil annually with only 17% coming via Druzhba since most now arrives from Polish and German ports. The move comes as Putin seeks new ways to block European energy supplies and occurs amid a broader Middle East crisis that has reduced oil flows and caused severe kerosene shortages, forcing Lufthansa to cancel 20,000 flights. The EU has dramatically reduced Russian energy dependency from 45% to 12% for gas and 27% to 2% for oil since the war began, aiming to completely end Russian imports by 2027.

Russia's halt of Kazakh oil transit through Druzhba pipeline

• ▪Kazakhstan began sending the first batches of crude oil to the PCK refinery in Schwedt in January 2023
• ▪Rosneft Germany informed the Federal Network Agency that the Russian Ministry of Energy instructed the halt of Kazakh crude oil transit through the Druzhba pipeline
• ▪Russia plans to stop oil exports from Kazakhstan to Germany via the Druzhba pipeline from May 1, 2026
• ▪The Russian Federation has not confirmed the halt of Kazakh oil transit to the German government as of April 21, 2025

Impact on PCK refinery and Germany's fuel supply

• ▪The PCK refinery was forced to stop Russian oil imports from 2023
• ▪About 17% of the almost 12 million metric tons of oil per year processed by the PCK refinery comes via the Druzhba pipeline
• ▪Since 2022, most of the PCK refinery's oil comes from ports such as in Rostock and in Poland, not via the Druzhba pipeline
• ▪The PCK refinery supplies Berlin and the surrounding region with more than 90% of their petrol, diesel and heating fuel
• ▪The PCK refinery is located in the town of Schwedt about 100 kilometers north of Berlin
• ▪The PCK refinery is owned by shareholders Shell Germany, Rosneft Germany, and enilive
• ▪The German government seized the PCK refinery's operations following Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022
• ▪The US sanctions exemption for the PCK refinery was due to expire on April 29, 2025 but was extended in March without a specific end date

Europe's broader energy security and pivot from Russian energy

• ▪Lufthansa slashed 20,000 flights from its May to October 2025 schedule due to kerosene shortages
• ▪The REPower EU Regulation aims to completely end the import of Russian oil and gas by 2027
• ▪The EU's dependency on Russian gas has fallen from 45% of overall gas imports to 12% in 2025 since the war in Ukraine began

Geopolitical context and Russia's energy weaponization

• ▪Benjamin Hilgenstock is a senior economist at the Kyiv School of Economics
• ▪Russia has repeatedly tried to weaponize energy exports since Russia began the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022

Perspective of Germany

• ▪Since 2022, most of the PCK refinery's oil comes from ports such as in Rostock and in Poland, not via the Druzhba pipeline
• ▪The German government seized the PCK refinery's operations following Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022