Russia to halt Kazakhstan’s oil flows to Germany via Druzhba

MOSCOW: 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 an adjusted oil exporting schedule has been sent to Kazakhstan and Germany.

A halt to Kazakh flows would add more uncertainty to Germany’s fuel supply as the Iran war disrupts energy shipments from the Middle East only a few years after Berlin’s decades-long energy ties with Russia were upended by the war in Ukraine.

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 PERCENT from 2024, and 730,000 tons in the first quarter of 2026. A complete halt would remove about 17 PERCENT of the up to 12 million metric tons of oil a year processed by Germany’s PCK refinery - one of the country’s largest - in the northeastern town of Schwedt, fuel from which powers 9 out of 10 cars in the Berlin and Brandenburg region.