Transit of Kazakh oil to Germany via the Druzhba pipeline could be halted from 1 May 2026. This information has appeared in foreign media.
WHAT HAPPENED
According to Reuters, citing three industry sources, the Kazakh side has received a written notification from the Russian company Transneft regarding adjustments to the export schedule for Kazakhstan and Germany.
This concerns oil supplies from Kazakhstan to Germany via a route through Russian territory and then onwards through the Druzhba pipeline system.
KREMLIN'S REACTION
Spokesman for the Russian President Dmitry Peskov stated that he does not have such information and recommended contacting the relevant companies for clarification.
"I don't know about this. You need to contact our relevant companies. We will try to clarify the situation, but I am not ready to answer you on this," the Interfax news agency quotes Peskov as saying.
HAVE KAZAKHSTAN AND GERMANY RESPONDED
Reuters noted that the Ministry of Energy of Kazakhstan and the German government did not provide prompt comments in response to the agency's requests regarding the information about a possible halt to oil transit.
Thus, as of the time of publication, there are no official confirmations of this information from the relevant authorities in Russia, Kazakhstan, or Germany.
HOW WERE THE SUPPLIES RUNNING
Kazakh oil was transported via the Uzen – Atyrau – Samara main oil pipeline, then entered the Transneft system and reached the delivery point Adamova Zastava. From there, the crude was sent to Germany to the refinery in the city of Schwedt.
The supplies were carried out under the national brand KEBCO (Kazakhstan Export Blend Crude Oil). The crude came from the Karachaganak, Kashagan, and Tengiz fields.
WHAT WAS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE ROUTE
Supplies via Druzhba allowed Kazakhstan to export oil without using Russian seaports. The article notes that sales at Russian ports have declined due to Western sanctions, and terminal infrastructure has been subject to regular drone attacks.
For Germany, this route was used after the European Union completely banned the supply of Russian oil via the northern branch of Druzhba. Since February 2023, Kazakh crude has been exported to Germany along this route.
WHAT WERE THE LATEST SUPPLY VOLUMES
According to KazTransOil, in the first quarter of 2026, exports of Kazakh oil to Germany doubled, reaching 730,000 tonnes.