Bulgaria has prematurely stopped importing crude oil from Russia as part of measures taken in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, dpa informs, according to Agerpres.
The ban on the import of Russian oil concerns the Lukoil Neftohim refinery located west of the Black Sea port city of Burgas. Most of the refinery is owned by the Russian oil giant Lukoil.
Russian oil will be replaced by imports from Kazakhstan, Iraq and Tunisia, according to a news item published in the Bulgarian newspaper 24 Chasa.
The ban on imports from Bulgaria was imposed at the end of 2023, despite a special exemption from European Union sanctions on Russia that allowed Bulgaria to continue importing Russian crude oil until October 1.
By banning the import of Russian oil, the Bulgarian government aims to deprive Lukoil and the Russian government of profits that could be used to finance the war in Ukraine.
Bulgaria also stopped importing Russian natural gas in 2022 after Russia’s state-owned Gazprom halted supplies after the government in Sofia refused to pay in Russian rubles.
By 2022, Bulgaria was almost entirely dependent on gas from Russia for its energy supply.
Source: Hot News
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