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Russian oil has reportedly started to flow once again through the Druzhba pipeline to the European Union after months of a blockage in Ukraine. At the same time, Russia is reportedly halting the flow of Kazakh oil via Druzhba to Germany as of May 1, an action that some regional experts describe as an attempt at geoeconomic retaliation.

According to Kazakh officials, Russia is claiming that “a lack of technical capability” is forcing Moscow to halt Kazakh shipments via Druzba, the KazTag news agency reported April 22. “This is most likely due to the recent attacks on Russian infrastructure,” KazTag quoted Energy Minister Yerlan Akkenzhenov as saying. 

The minister confirmed that there will be “zero transit” of Kazakh oil in May to the Russian city of Samara, the nearest node of the Druzhba network. Kazakh oil shipments could resume in June, provided the “technical issues” can be resolved. Russia has not officially confirmed the cutoff.

A cutoff of Kazakh oil shipments threatens to disrupt operations at a German refinery that is a vital supplier for the German capital Berlin, according to a report published by the German news agency Deutsche Welle (DW).

Akkenzhenov said the Druzhba cutoff will not cause Kazakhstan to reduce overall oil production this year, KazTag reported. Other top Kazakh officials have downplayed the significance of Druzhba for Kazakh oil exports. The overwhelming majority of Kazakh oil is exported via the Caspian Pipeline Consortium route, which has been hit by repeated Ukrainian drone attacks in recent months. 

Russia historically has used its control of pipelines as an instrument of geopolitical pressure. “This news [the Kazakh cutoff] illustrates, once again, that Russia will retain the ability to threaten European energy security until all imports from and through Russia have stopped,” DW quoted a regional energy expert,  Benjamin Hilgenstock, as saying.

The southern branch of the Druzhba route originates in Russia and travels through Ukraine to reach Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic. A northern branch traverses Belarus to deliver oil to Poland and Germany.

Druzhba’s southern branch was damaged and stopped pumping oil in January. Ukraine blamed a Russian drone strike for the disruption, while Russian and Hungarian officials accused Ukraine of sabotage. Reports have circulated that oil will once again flow via the southern branch on April 22. The news comes shortly after the downfall of Viktor Orban’s authoritarian government in Hungary. Orban’s government was widely seen as an obstacle to EU assistance to Ukraine in its ongoing war with Russia. The resumption of Druzhba operations should unblock a planned EU 90-billion-euro aid package for Kyiv.

Druzhba means ‘friendship’ in English. But the Kazakh cutoff can only be interpreted as a hostile gesture towards Germany.

By Eurasianet