Russia Moves to Halt Kazakhstan Oil Transit to Germany via Druzhba Pipeline

Russia is preparing to suspend the transit of Kazakh oil to Germany through the Druzhba pipeline starting May 1, according to a report by Reuters on April 21.

Updated export schedules reflecting the planned halt have already been circulated to both countries.

The move comes amid continued tensions between Moscow and Berlin linked to Russia’s war against Ukraine.

As Reuters notes, Germany placed local subsidiaries of Russian energy giant Rosneft under state trusteeship in 2022, effectively severing long-standing energy ties between the two countries.

Kazakhstan has been supplying crude oil to Germany via the northern branch of the Druzhba pipeline, which runs through Poland. Volumes along this route have increased significantly, reaching approximately 2.15 million tons in 2025—a 44 percent rise compared to the previous year.

However, the reliability of these shipments has been repeatedly disrupted, including by Ukrainian drone strikes targeting sections of the pipeline inside Russia.

The Kazakh crude transported through Druzhba is primarily delivered to the PCK refinery in Schwedt, one of Germany’s largest processing facilities.

The refinery shifted to non-Russian supplies after Berlin halted imports of Russian oil following the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that the southern part of the Druzhba oil pipeline, damaged by a Russian missile strike, is expected to resume operations by the end of April, following partial repairs.

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