Russia confirms halt of Kazakh oil to Germany

Russia's Ministry of Energy has announced it will ban the transit of Kazakh oil through Russian territory to Germany's PCK Schwedt refinery, effective May 1. The refinery supplies Berlin and northeastern Germany with diesel, gasoline, kerosene, and heating oil. This formal notification confirms Germany's earlier report of the impending supply cutoff, which is expected to increase uncertainty in European energy markets. The move represents another escalation in Russia's use of energy as a geopolitical weapon following its invasion of Ukraine.