MINERALNYE VODY, April 30. /TASS/. The rerouting of the flows of Kazakh oil from the Druzhba pipeline is due to the technical limitations of the pipeline, in particular, damage to infrastructure and stations, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said.
"First and foremost, this is related to the technical capabilities of pumping through the Druzhba oil pipeline. You know that Ukrainian military forces are also attacking oil pipeline infrastructure, and we are seeing damage to oil pumping stations and infrastructure. Therefore, other supply options have been found for Kazakhstan within the framework of our ongoing work and infrastructure. No one in this area is suffering in terms of volume," he told reporters.
The refinery in Germany’s Schwedt is not currently receiving oil via the pipeline, Novak added.
Novak announced earlier that Kazakh oil deliveries to Germany would bypass the Druzhba oil pipeline starting on May 1 due to technical constraints. The termination of Kazakh oil supplies to Germany via the Druzhba pipeline could lead to dire consequences for Berlin and Kiev as the refinery in Schwedt produces 90% of gasoline, jet fuel, diesel and heating oil for Berlin and the surrounding state of Brandenburg, Politico wrote on April 27. If Russia redirects Kazakh oil transit to its Baltic ports, which have increasingly come under attack by the Ukrainian military, Berlin may demand an end to such strikes, according to the newspaper.
Kazakhstan’s Energy Ministry said earlier that the Central Asian nation would redirect supplies of 260,000 tons of oil in May as it is no longer possible to transit oil to Germany through the Druzhba pipeline. Oil will be delivered through Russia, particularly via the port of Ust-Luga and the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC).