Moscow has suddenly halted the pipeline that supplies the Schwedt petrochemical complex, a major German refinery covering about 1,200 football fields. This facility is a key supplier of fuel for Berlin and the surrounding Brandenburg region, which together have over six million people. The refinery, which still relies heavily on Russian crude oil, is primarily owned by the Russian company Rosneft but is now under German control. The site, which employs 1,200 people, has been struggling to maintain operations amid European sanctions, U.S. restrictions, and Russian countermeasures. Ralf Schairer, the head of PCK Schwedt, said the refinery must constantly deal with unexpected challenges and avoid panic. Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the refinery operated smoothly, but since then, Germany's move away from Russian oil has created ongoing issues in keeping the facility supplied to prevent fuel shortages in eastern Germany. In February 2023, Russian crude oil arriving via the Druzhba ("Friendship") pipeline was replaced with oil from Kazakhstan, a country that has good relations with both Russia and the West. However, in May 2026, Moscow, which controls the pipeline’s valves, cut off the Kazakh oil supply, citing an unspecified "technical" issue. The refinery has had to adapt by increasing oil deliveries through the ports of Rostock in Germany and Gdansk in Poland. To support this change, PCK needs to upgrade its infrastructure, especially the link between Schwedt and Rostock. However, the European Union has refused to approve 400 million euros in public funding for this modernization, citing Rosneft’s involvement. Berlin is reluctant to nationalize Rosneft, fearing Russian retaliation, and claims that current oversight ensures the refinery's profits do not support the Russian war effort. However, the EU remains skeptical. For the workers, this uncertainty has created real anxiety, according to Danny Ruthenberg, president of the works council. The situation has also been worsened by U.S. sanctions against Rosneft announced in October 2025, despite Berlin's efforts to secure exemptions for its German subsidiaries. American companies like Microsoft and Honeywell, which had been working with the refinery, have already announced their withdrawal due to fears of sanctions. These uncertainties have also hindered other projects at the site, such as the development of green hydrogen-based fuels. Ralf Schairer has also criticized the EU’s second carbon market, set to begin in 2028, which will require refineries to purchase emissions quotas for the pollution caused by drivers. Annekathrin Hoppe, the social democratic mayor of Schwedt, says that confidence in the government has "massively eroded" among the town's 34,000 residents. This loss of trust has benefited the far-right AfD party, which is gaining support in former East Germany, and parties that support a pro-Russian stance. Some residents long for the days when Russian oil flowed freely. Will this return if the war in Ukraine ends? Hoppe says she has little hope, adding that "too much porcelain has been broken."