Blow for Putin as close ally distances itself from Russian oil

The Czech Republic has officially reached energy independence by cutting itself off from Russian gas, dealing a significant blow to the war-weakened Russian economy.

Czech authorities also announced they are stepping away from Russian oil suppliers. Prime Minister Petr Fiala celebrated the achievement during a visit to the Nelahozeves facility near Prague.

“After roughly 60 years, our dependence on Russia has ended. For the first time in history, the Czech Republic is completely supplied by non-Russian oil and fully supplied through western routes,” he said.

For decades, the Czech Republic relied on Russia for about 50% of its oil imports, primarily via the Druzhba pipeline.

The Czech pipeline operator MERO has confirmed upgrades to the TAL pipeline will be completed by the end of 2024. These improvements will allow oil from Trieste, Italy, to flow through Germany and reach the Czech Republic via the Ingolstadt–Kralupy–Litvínov pipeline network.

(QG - Source: The Daily Express - Picture : © Unsplash)