BERLIN — As Berlin reels from the energy price shock triggered by the Iran war, Russian President Vladimir Putin appears to be seizing his moment to ratchet up even more pressure on Berlin’s oil supplies.
Moscow is set to stop the transit of Kazakh oil to Germany via a branch of the Druzhba pipeline from May 1. That poses a major potential headache because Kazakhstan supplies almost 20 percent of the oil to the large refinery that produces 90 percent of the gasoline, jet fuel, diesel and heating oil for Berlin and the surrounding state of Brandenburg.
While Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said the supply halt was “related to technical capabilities,” the Kremlin will be well aware that any energy supply disruptions could play into the hands of the far-right, Russia-friendly Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which is expected to triumph in regional elections in eastern Germany in the fall.
“By stopping these shipments and creating obstacles for exports to Germany, the Russians want to fuel the oil crisis,” said Szymon Kardaś, an expert on Russia’s energy policy at the European Council of Foreign Relations.
