Energy Ministry confirms suspension of Kazakh oil transit through Russia
Kazakhstan’s Energy Minister Yerlan Akkenzhenov has confirmed suspension of oil transit to Germany through the territory of Russia, Qazinform News Agency reports.
According to recent media reports, Russia plans to halt Kazakh oil transit to Germany via Druzhba pipeline from May 1.
He said there is still no official confirmation from the Russian side. However, according to unofficial data, transit for May has already effectively been halted.
“According to unofficial sources, this is true. For May, transit through Atyrau-Samara in the direction of the Druzhba pipeline and further to the Schwedt refinery is zero [no deliveries - ed.].The Russian side, again according to unofficial sources, claims to have no technical capability to pump Kazakh oil. Most likely, this is connected with recent strikes on Russian infrastructure. I make such an assumption,” Akkenzhenov said on the sidelines of the Regional Ecological Summit 2026 in Astana.
Meanwhile, the indicative figures for the second quarter also provide for zero volumes, the minister noted.
“I spoke with my colleagues, I will not mention names – as soon as the technical capability issue is resolved, the transit of Kazakh oil will resume,” he assured.
At the same time, Kazakhstan has already started redistributing export volumes along other routes.
The ministry reported that out of roughly 80 million tons of oil per year, about 3 million tons go through the Druzhba pipeline. In 2025, this figure was 2.1 million tons. At the same time, Kazakh oil covers about 20-30% of the needs of the German refinery in Schwedt.
Earlier, Qazinform reported that British oil and gas companies Shell and BP will continue operating in Kazakhstan, as they look forward to developing cooperation.
