Polish energy giant Orlen cuts last ties to Russian oil
At the end of June, the company terminated its last remaining contract for crude oil supplies from the East. This means that Orlen – and the entire region – will no longer be bound by any agreements with Russian entities for the delivery of oil, according to the statement.
'We have closed this chapter and are now working together to build a secure future for the region. Today, we source oil from all over the world,' said Ireneusz Fąfara, CEO of Orlen. 'Our refineries process crude from the Middle East and the Persian Gulf, the North Sea, Africa, and both Americas. This is what energy security looks like today – the kind we promised to the people of Poland and the entire region.'
Following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Polish government and its state-owned energy companies moved to completely cease imports of Russian coal, gas, and oil.
The contract with Rosneft, which ended on 30 June, 2025, was the last agreement linking Orlen to Russian oil. Earlier, the company had terminated other supply contracts for deliveries to Poland via the Druzhba pipeline. Orlen also ceased importing Russian crude by sea.
The contract was signed 12 years earlier and provided for oil deliveries to the refinery in Litvínov, Czechia. Orlen's other facility in the country, located in Kralupy, processed only non-Russian crude.
However, due to insufficient pipeline capacity for imports from alternative sources, the Litvínov refinery relied on supplies from the Druzhba pipeline. As a result, following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Czech government requested an exemption from EU sanctions in order to continue importing Russian oil and ensure adequate fuel supply for the Czech market.
During this time, Orlen prepared the Litvínov refinery – which had relied on Russian oil since its inception – to process alternative crude grades. The company carried out a series of technological upgrades and tested various crude blends. As a result, Orlen fully switched to alternative sources in March 2025, following the launch of the TAL Plus pipeline, the company explains.
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