As a result of the attack on Ukraine, oil transactions with Russia are no longer permitted. In the case of the refinery in Schwedt, however, customs apparently can no longer take such a close look at whether Russian crude oil is still arriving there – on instructions from above.
On paper, the case is clear: Russian oil can no longer be imported into Germany. The member states of the European Union decided this as part of the sixth sanctions package, which came into force in December 2022. The only exception was for oil deliveries via the Druschba (“Friendship”) pipeline via Poland to the PCK refinery in Schwedt, Brandenburg. But this was also limited until June 2023 and has now expired.