Russia has given Germany less than two weeks’ notice before halting a critical oil flow.
Germany officially stopped buying Russian oil in 2022, replacing it with supplies from Kazakhstan. But that oil still travels through a Russian-controlled pipeline—meaning Russia ultimately controls whether it moves. On May 1, it won’t.
The refinery affected supplies around 90% of the petrol, kerosene, and heating fuel for Berlin, its airport, and nearby areas. Losing this supply instantly cuts about 17% of its processing capacity. The last time this refinery lost its main source, output dropped to 50–60%, and Berlin faced fuel shortages within weeks.
The only backup route runs through Gdańsk in Poland, but that capacity is already being used domestically.
With the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed, Europe has no excess supply ready to offset a disruption of this scale.
For years, Germany claimed it had ended its reliance on Russian energy. In reality, the replacement oil has depended on Russian infrastructure since 2022—and now Russia has demonstrated where the real control lies.$PIXEL
