Oil deliveries from Russia to Czechia via the Druzhba pipeline have stopped without explanation, raising suspicions as Czech officials remain calm.
While the exact reason remains unclear, many see it as another deliberate move by Russia to put pressure on Europe.
Druzhba is one of the largest crude oil pipeline networks in the world, carrying oil from Siberia, the Urals and the Caspian Sea to Europe.
While the northern branch runs through Belarus and Poland to Germany, the southern branch runs through Ukraine and on to Slovakia, Hungary and Czechia.
For Czech Energy Security Envoy Václav Bartuška, the halt is no coincidence.
“The Russians are playing games again—classic. The oil is still flowing to Slovakia and Hungary. This is a message from Russia,” Bartuška told Czech Television.
Czechia has no reason to panic, he said, adding, “We need to send a clear response to Russia: we are not worried. We have reserves, western pipelines, and no need to discuss anything with them.”
Under EU sanctions, EU countries are banned from importing Russian oil, but Czechia, Hungary, and Slovakia have been granted exemptions that expire on 5 December.
As previously reported by Euractiv, Czech authorities said in November that they would not seek to extend the exemption.
Orlen Unipetrol, the country’s leading fuel producer, confirmed the disruption but reassured the public that fuel supplies remained stable. “At present, fuel production is continuing without interruption, and the availability of fuel on the Czech market is not at risk,” the company said on X.
To ensure continued stability, Orlen has requested access to state oil reserves as a precautionary measure.
Czech Industry and Trade Minister Lukáš Vlček (EPP, STAN) echoed Bartuška’s assessment and confirmed that the country was prepared to deal with the situation.
“There is no risk of there not being enough oil to meet the needs of households and businesses. The refineries in the Czech Republic are well prepared for this situation, and we have a robust system of state material reserves,” said Vlček, confirming that Unipetrol will have the possibility to use state reserves in case there is no more oil flowing from Russia in the coming days or weeks.
(Aneta Zachová | Euractiv.cz)
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