Key insights
- Russia plans to halt Kazakhstan's oil flows to Germany via the Druzhba pipeline starting May 1, impacting German refinery PCK which relies on this supply after halting Russian deliveries. This move escalates energy tensions between Russia and Europe, potentially leading to higher energy prices and impacting European economies. The disruption highlights geopolitical risks in energy supply chains.
By Gleb Bryanski
MOSCOW, April 21 (Reuters) - Russia is set to stop oil exports from Kazakhstan to Germany via the Druzhba pipeline starting from May 1, three industry sources said on Tuesday.
The sources, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said that the adjusted oil exporting schedule has been sent to Kazakhstan and Germany.
Russia’s political and business relations with Germany have been frayed over the conflict in Ukraine, with Berlin supporting Kyiv.
Russia’s energy ministry did not immediately reply to a request for comment. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he was not aware of a move to stop the oil exports.
"We will try to check it," Peskov told reporters on a daily conference call.
Germany placed the local units of Russia’s largest oil producer Rosneft under trusteeship in 2022 upending Berlin’s decades-long energy ties with Russia.
Kazakhstan’s oil exports to Germany via Russia’s Druzhba pipeline totalled 2.146 million metric tons, or around 43,000 barrels per day, in 2025, an increase of 44% from 2024.
Kazakhstan supplies oil to Germany via the northern spur of Druzhba, which traverses Poland.
Supplies have been repeatedly interrupted by Ukrainian drone attacks on the pipeline in Russia.
Germany’s PCK refinery - one of the country’s largest - in the northeastern town of Schwedt is supplied in part by Kazakh crude transported via the pipeline, after a halt to Russian oil deliveries after the start of the conflict in Ukraine in 2022.