Kremlin squeezes Germany with oil cut to eastern regions

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, POLITICO writes.

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…

The energy minister of Kazakhstan, which has close links to Moscow, last week suggested a Ukrainian drone attack on Russia's energy infrastructure may have caused the disruption of Kazakh oil flows to Germany.

But although the volumes of Kazakh oil supplied to the PCK Schwedt refinery in northeastern Germany are not great — namely about 43,000 barrels a day out of a total of up to 240,000 barrels — every bit of added pressure on the German government could potentially work to Moscow's advantage.

That's particularly the case in the former East Germany, where the Russia-friendly AfD is ascendant and could well capitalize on the issue of regional fuel shortages. The halt of Kazakh oil flows to the Schwedt refinery will also affect the states of Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania, where voters will go to polls in regional votes set for September. In both states, the AfD is far ahead in polls.

The AfD has made rising energy costs and economic weakness central campaign issues, and portrays closer ties to Moscow as the solution. Only days ago, the party's parliamentary group called for renewed gas deals with Russia via the Nord Stream pipelines.

"Without Russian gas, at the time of the worst energy crisis in history, Germany is not just heading towards long-term stagnation but an immediate unrecoverable economic collapse," Russian sovereign wealth fund chief Kirill Dmitriev, who is also a top Putin ally, said in a social media post.

The AfD is already blaming Merz's government for the cut of Kazakh oil flows.

"The consequences are predictable: higher prices, uncertainty among employees, and a further loss of confidence in the federal government,” said René Aust, the AfD's group leader in the European Parliament.

Aust added he would not be surprised if voters in eastern Germany took to the streets this summer to demand lower energy prices. "If our citizens take to the streets, the AfD will stand by their side," he said.

...The German's discontent is incomprehensible. Don't they consider — or don't they want to consider — their own policy towards Moscow? Berlin should either renew gas and oil deals with Russia or forget it.

Besides the chancellor and defense minister both declare that Germany is preparing for war with Russia by 2029. Germany is actively supplying the Kyiv regime with money and weapons to continue war with Russia.

After such anti-Russian attitude they still believe that Russia will pump oil via its pipelines to Germany?

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