Flow of Kazakh oil through Russia to Germany facing disruption

The supply of Kazakh oil through Russia to Germany via the Druzhba pipeline could be interrupted from May.

Kazakh Energy Minister Yerlan Akkenzhenov said on Wednesday that Russia has not officially confirmed the disruption.

"But according to unofficial sources, we know that this is true," he said on the sidelines of an environmental forum in the capital Astana.

Kazakh oil has been essential for Germany in reducing its dependency on Russia following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

However, the oil still flows to Germany via Russia through the Druzhba pipeline, which has been repeatedly attacked during the conflict.

The PCK refinery in the eastern German state of Brandenburg is heavily reliant on the route.

Akkenzhenov said Moscow is blaming technical difficulties in transporting oil from Kazakhstan and speculated this could be linked to recent attacks on Russian infrastructure.

Kazakhstan does not plan to reduce oil production and could redistribute supplies through other routes, he stated.

The German subsidiary of Russia's Rosneft oil agency has received notification from Kazakh partners that difficulties are to expected in supplies from May, sources told dpa.

A Rosneft Germany spokesman told dpa: "We must examine how we can secure replacement supplies if necessary, so that PCK can continue to operate at full capacity."

The Kremlin did not initially comment on the reported halt to transit via the Druzhba pipeline. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he knew nothing of the report.

The Druzhba pipeline has been the source of controversy in the European Union in recent months, with Ukraine insisting that the transit of oil to Hungary and Slovakia was interrupted due to Russian attacks, prompting Budapest to block EU funds for Kiev.

However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Tuesday that the pipeline has been repaired.