Kazakhstan Asks Russia to Restart Oil Transit to Germany After Six Months of Disruption

A request to reopen the route to Schwedt

Kazakhstan has formally asked Russia to restore oil transit to Germany through the northern branch of the Druzhba pipeline, seeking to reopen a route that carried 1.02 million tonnes in the first four months of 2026 before shipments stopped on May 1.

Energy Minister Yerlan Akkenzhenov said at a November 4 press conference in Astana that he had personally delivered the request. Kazakhstan says it has the technical capacity to resume shipments to the refinery in Schwedt, but Russia had not responded. The minister gave no date for a reply or a restart.

Akkenzhenov, who oversees Kazakhstan's energy sector, described his approach to the Russian side:

I personally delivered an official request in a face-to-face meeting, and the request has been conveyed. The Kazakhstani side is waiting for a response from the Russian side on resuming operations.

The interruption matters differently at each end of the pipeline. Druzhba carried less than 3% of Kazakhstan's oil exports, while Kazakh crude supplied about 20% to 30% of the oil needed by the Schwedt refinery. The plant produces about 90% of the gasoline, aviation fuel and diesel used in Berlin and the surrounding state of Brandenburg.

Kazakhstan had planned to send about 3 million tonnes through Druzhba in 2026, compared with 2.1 million tonnes in 2025. Instead, it has redirected oil toward other export routes, including the Caspian Pipeline Consortium system and Russia's Baltic port of Ust-Luga. Restoring Druzhba would reconnect an established supplier with a refinery that has already had to adjust its sources of crude.

What has kept the pipeline closed?

Russia stopped the transit of Kazakh oil toward Schwedt on May 1, citing technical limitations along the Russian section of the route. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak described the interruption as temporary and linked it to repair work. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov also referred to technical issues.

Akkenzhenov said in May that unofficial information from Russia connected the interruption with drone strikes on Russian infrastructure. In June, he said Russia had still not confirmed the technical possibility of pumping oil through the route, and delivery plans for the following six months showed zero volumes.

Kazakhstan's current statement of readiness concerns its own ability to supply oil. A restart also requires Russia to make its transit infrastructure available and agree to resume pumping. An export pipeline works as a connected chain: oil at the starting point can reach the buyer only when the sections between them are operating.

How a growing trade stopped in May

Kazakhstan began supplying Schwedt through Druzhba in 2023, delivering about 1 million tonnes that year. By 2025, annual deliveries had reached 2.1 million tonnes, more than double the initial volume.

The start of 2026 pointed toward further growth. First quarter shipments reached about 730,000 tonnes, roughly twice the amount delivered during the same period in 2025. Deliveries reached 1.02 million tonnes by the end of April, before the route closed.

The main developments trace a shift from expanding deliveries to a prolonged interruption:

• 2023: Kazakhstan began supplying oil to Germany through Druzhba, shipping about 1 million tonnes.
• 2025: Deliveries rose to 2.1 million tonnes.
• January to April 2026: Kazakhstan shipped 1.02 million tonnes toward Schwedt.
• May 1: Russia halted transit, citing technical constraints.
• June: Russia had not confirmed that pumping could resume, and the next six months of delivery plans contained no scheduled volumes.
• August: Akkenzhenov said deliveries were not expected to resume in September, October or November.
• November 4: The minister announced that he had personally submitted a request to restart transit and was awaiting Russia's response.

The November request therefore comes after months in which Kazakhstan had already planned around the route being unavailable.

How much oil is at stake?

Kazakhstan's latest stated plan was to deliver about 3 million tonnes through Druzhba in 2026, up from an earlier estimate of 2.5 million tonnes. Some accounts continued to cite the earlier figure. The larger target would have represented an increase of about 43% from the 2.1 million tonnes shipped in 2025.

The 1.02 million tonnes delivered before May amounted to 34% of the 3 million tonne annual target. About 1.98 million tonnes of planned deliveries remained when transit stopped. Kazakhstan redirected oil to other export channels rather than leaving all of those volumes dependent on a Druzhba restart.

Those figures explain why Kazakhstan is seeking to recover the route even though it accounts for a small share of national exports. Druzhba had become a growing outlet serving a particular customer. Alternative routes allow oil to reach export markets, while reopening the pipeline would restore the established connection to Schwedt.

Why Schwedt feels the interruption more sharply

The Schwedt refinery turns crude oil into fuels used across Berlin and Brandenburg. Its role in supplying about 90% of the region's gasoline, jet fuel and diesel makes changes to its crude supply important for a much larger group of people than those working at the plant.

Kazakh oil covered about one fifth to nearly one third of the refinery's needs, according to Akkenzhenov's May estimate. Losing that supply means the refinery must obtain replacement crude or process less oil. Lower processing volumes can leave some of its equipment operating below capacity.

Germany's Economy Ministry said in the spring that the interruption posed no threat to the country's general supply of petroleum products, while acknowledging that Schwedt would have to operate at a lower level of output. Alternative supply routes included the Polish port of Gdansk and the German port of Rostock, followed by transport to the refinery.

Germany's national supply position and Schwedt's operating position therefore involve different measures. The country can draw on other refineries and supply channels, while the plant itself must manage the loss of a substantial source of crude.

A northern route through Russia and Belarus

Kazakh oil reaches Schwedt along the Atyrau-Samara route and the northern branch of Druzhba. The pipeline system passes through Russia and Belarus; this northern route does not cross Ukraine.

Druzhba also has another branch used to supply other European customers. Russian oil continued to reach Hungary through that separate branch into the beginning of 2026. The Schwedt interruption concerns the northern route carrying Kazakh crude to Germany.

Schwedt historically processed Russian oil. Kazakhstan's crude has similar technical characteristics, making it suitable for a refinery accustomed to that type of feedstock. Refineries are designed to handle particular ranges of oil, so replacing one supply involves finding crude that the plant can process as well as arranging its transport.

Kazakh oil's origin and its transport route are separate parts of the trade. The oil comes from Kazakhstan, but its journey to Schwedt depends on infrastructure in Russia. That dependence places Moscow's transit decision at the centre of Kazakhstan's attempt to restart deliveries.

Alternative exports still depend heavily on Russia

Kazakhstan has redirected flows toward the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, known as CPC, and Ust-Luga. CPC carries oil to Russia's Black Sea coast, while Ust-Luga provides access to shipping through the Baltic Sea.

About 80% of Kazakhstan's oil exports pass through CPC, compared with less than 3% through the Druzhba route before the interruption. The difference shows how concentrated Kazakhstan's export system remains: its main alternative to Druzhba is already responsible for roughly four fifths of exports.

Redirecting shipments changes the outlet, but both CPC and Ust-Luga also involve Russian infrastructure. Kazakhstan can adjust how its oil reaches buyers while remaining exposed to disruptions affecting transport through Russia.

Another interruption occurred on November 2, when Kazakhstan temporarily suspended crude transport to Russia through the Atyrau-Samara pipeline after a drone attack that morning. The incident occurred two days before Akkenzhenov announced the formal request to restore Druzhba transit.

Production targets face a demanding final quarter

Kazakhstan has kept its 2026 oil production forecast at 96 million tonnes. Production from January through September totalled 69.4 million tonnes, down 8.3% from the same period in 2025.

Meeting the annual target would require another 26.6 million tonnes in the final three months. That works out to an average of about 8.9 million tonnes per month, compared with about 7.7 million tonnes per month during the first nine months. The required monthly pace is roughly 15% higher.

The earlier annual production figure was 99.4 million tonnes of oil and gas condensate in 2025; another reported figure was about 99.6 million tonnes. Against the 99.4 million tonne figure, the 2026 target represents a decline of about 3.4%.

Attacks on infrastructure, temporary suspensions of shipments through CPC terminals and technical problems at Tengiz, Kazakhstan's largest oil field, have affected production in 2026. Akkenzhenov nevertheless said the country remained on course for its annual plan. He put the preliminary 2027 outlook at approximately 99 million tonnes, with the final figure still being determined.

Refinery ownership adds another dispute

Schwedt's controlling stake belongs to German subsidiaries of Russia's Rosneft. Germany placed those companies under government management in 2022, separating the management of important fuel infrastructure from the Russian parent company's control.

In late February 2026, Germany's Economy Ministry put that management arrangement on a lasting basis, replacing the previous practice of extending it every six months. Rosneft challenged the decision in court in late March. The halt in Kazakh transit followed on May 1.

Germany had also restricted supplies of Russian crude from Rosneft, increasing the importance of replacement oil for Schwedt. Kazakhstan's request now focuses on restoring access for its own crude through the existing pipeline, while the dispute over the refinery's management continues separately.

Akkenzhenov's next practical step is to receive Russia's response. For Kazakhstan, approval would restore a customer route that had been expanding rapidly. For Schwedt, resumed deliveries would bring back a source that previously met 20% to 30% of its crude needs.

Key Points

• Kazakhstan formally requested the restart of Druzhba oil transit to Germany and was awaiting Russia's response on November 4.
• Russia halted the route on May 1, citing technical constraints and repair needs.
• Kazakhstan delivered 1.02 million tonnes before the halt, against a latest annual plan of about 3 million tonnes.
• Kazakh crude previously met about 20% to 30% of the Schwedt refinery's oil demand.
• Redirected exports use CPC and Ust-Luga, both involving Russian infrastructure.
• Kazakhstan retained its 2026 production target of 96 million tonnes and projected approximately 99 million tonnes for 2027.
• No date has been announced for a Russian response or the resumption of deliveries.