Russia Plans to Halt Oil Pipeline Supply to German Refinery, Germany Says

Germany has said that Russia is preparing to stop oil flow through a pipeline supplying one of its refineries. The information was communicated by the German branch regulator of the Russian state-owned company Rosneft.

Crude oil currently transported from Kazakhstan is delivered to Germany via the Druzhba pipeline. The pipeline runs through Russian territory into Belarus and Poland before reaching Germany, while another branch passes through Ukraine to Hungary.

Germany’s Ministry for Economic Affairs said on Wednesday that Russia is planning to shut down the Druzhba pipeline on May 1. However, Moscow has not officially confirmed such a decision.

The refinery affected is the PCK Schwedt refinery, located near the Polish border. It supplies fuel to the Berlin region.

German government spokesperson Steffen Kornelius said that even if the pipeline is shut down, the refinery’s operations are not expected to be significantly affected.

The development comes amid ongoing shifts in European energy supply chains following reduced dependence on Russian oil in recent years.