Czech Republic spent five times more on Russian oil and gas than on aid to Ukraine
The Czech Republic spent more than €7 billion on Russian oil and gas. This is more than five times more than the €1.29 billion it provided in aid to Ukraine.
This is stated in a report by the Center for the Study of Democracy and the Center for Energy and Clean Air Studies, Censor.NET reports citing LIGA.
After Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the EU authorities decided to refuse Russian oil, but a temporary exception was made for Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, as these countries are landlocked. They were expected to replace Russia with other fuel suppliers over time.
However, in 2023, the Czech Republic's dependence on Russian oil increased to 60%, and Czech oil imports have brought the Kremlin more than €2.3 billion in revenue since the invasion. Although there is enough spare capacity on the market to completely replace Russian oil, the Czech Republic continues to buy and profit from it.
The only crude oil refiner in the Czech Republic, Orlen Unipetrol, owned by Poland's PKN Orlen, took advantage of the exemption from the EU ban on Russian oil imports. It bought large volumes of Russian crude oil at an average price of 21% cheaper than Azerbaijani oil in 2023 and earned about €1.2 billion in additional profit.
Analysts argue that the Czech Republic can completely replace Russian crude oil supplies by maximizing the use of the Transalpine Pipeline, increasing imports of petroleum products from Germany, and utilizing the country's huge crude oil reserves. Similarly, the Czech Republic could stop buying Russian gas entirely, as it has enough alternative non-Russian supply options from Norway and the global LNG market.
"To complete its strategic decoupling from Russian oil, the EU must close all sanctions loopholes, including exceptions for the Druzhba pipeline and the refining loophole that has allowed third countries to increase their purchases of Russian oil and sell surplus oil products back to the EU," the report says.
