Czech Republic Announces Halt Of Russian Oil Supplies Via Druzhba Pipeline

The country’s oil reserves will last for three months.

The Czech state oil transportation company MERO ČR has announced the suspension of Russian oil supplies via the southern branch of the Druzhba pipeline. This statement was published on the company’s website on Tuesday, March 4, according to Deutsche Welle.

"MERO ČR has received information about the suspension of oil supplies to the Czech Republic via the Druzhba pipeline," the statement reads. The company assured that "there are currently no significant restrictions on oil supplies to Czech refineries," and the country’s reserves of crude oil and petroleum products will last for 90 days.

At the same time, MERO ČR emphasized its technical readiness for alternative oil supplies. For instance, oil can be delivered via the Transalpine Oil Pipeline (TAL), which connects the Czech Republic to the oil terminal in Trieste, Italy. "MERO ČR is already fully prepared to launch the TAL-PLUS project. As a result, the TAL pipeline’s capacity has increased to the point where it can fully cover the consumption needs of both Czech refineries," the company stated.

The company also highlighted the possibility of using the Ingolstadt-Kralupy-Litvinov (IKL) pipeline, which links the Czech Republic to southern Germany. "In case of an emergency, the TAL and IKL pipelines can already serve as a full-fledged alternative to the Druzhba pipeline," MERO ČR assured.

There has been no comment from the Russian side regarding the reasons for the supply interruption. Previously, in December 2024, the Czech Republic experienced a short-term disruption of oil supplies via Druzhba, but exports resumed two days later.

The Czech Republic Has Long Sought Alternatives to Druzhba

Druzhba is the largest Russian oil pipeline supplying crude to Europe. Built in the 1960s, it splits in the Belarusian city of Mazyr into northern and southern branches. The northern route runs through Belarus, Poland, Germany, Latvia, and Lithuania, while the southern branch extends through Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary.

Oil transport via the northern branch was halted due to EU sanctions. Since February 2023, this route has been used exclusively to transport Kazakh oil to a refinery in Schwedt, Germany.

Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic have managed to secure an exemption from EU sanctions for oil transported via the southern branch of Druzhba. In 2023, this pipeline accounted for approximately 58% of the Czech Republic’s oil consumption. However, Prague has been investing in the expansion of the TAL pipeline for years and was already planning to stop importing Russian oil in the first half of 2025.

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