Russia has restarted oil deliveries through the Druzhba pipeline to the European Union after a month-long interruption caused by a Ukrainian drone strike. At the same time, the country has halted the transit of Kazakh oil to Germany as of May 1, a move that experts say reflects geopolitical leverage rather than technical problems. The southern branch of Druzhba, which runs through Ukraine to Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic, was damaged in January. Its resumption on April 22 is expected to unlock a planned €90 billion aid package for Kyiv, according to the European Union. Kazakh officials say the stoppage is due to a "lack of technical capability" after recent attacks on Russian infrastructure. Energy Minister Yerlan Akkenzhenov confirmed that there will be "zero transit" of Kazakh oil in May to the Russian city of Samara, the nearest node of the Druzhba network. He added that shipments could resume in June if the technical issues are resolved. The majority of Kazakhstan's oil is exported via the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, which has also suffered drone attacks. Regional energy expert Benjamin Hilgenstock noted that the cutoff "illustrates, once again, that Russia will retain the ability to threaten European energy security until all imports from and through Russia have stopped." Deutsche Welle reported that the halt could disrupt operations at a German refinery that supplies Berlin. With Druzhba now operational, supply pressure on European markets eases, but the situation underscores the continued importance of pipeline politics as a lever in the region. Monitoring of technical conditions and diplomatic developments will remain key for the next few months.