Analyst Expro released data on Monday showing that Russian crude oil transit via Ukraine decreased to 9.7 million metric tons in 2025, the lowest annual total in ten years.
The fall in volumes coincides with regular Ukrainian attacks on the Russian section of the Druzhba oil export pipeline - a principal artery for shipments of Russian oil to Central Europe. Despite the ongoing four-year war between the two countries, Ukraine has continued to permit flows through its territory to supply neighboring markets.
Expro's figures detail the distribution of volumes in 2025: Slovakia received 4.9 million tons of oil via the Ukrainian transit network, while Hungary took 4.35 million tons. The Czech Republic, which had previously been a recipient on this route, ceased purchases through the corridor in 2025.
Year-on-year data in Expro's release illustrate a persistent downward trend in transit through Ukraine since the conflict began. Transit totaled 14.5 million tons in 2022, declined to 13.5 million tons in 2023, fell further to 11.4 million tons in 2024, and reached 9.7 million tons in 2025.
The data underscore a gradual contraction in the volumes of Russian oil moving across Ukrainian territory to Central European buyers. While Ukraine has not blocked the route outright, the availability and reliability of this corridor have been affected, according to the figures provided by Expro.
Key takeaways:
- Russian oil transit via Ukraine hit 9.7 million metric tons in 2025, the lowest in a decade, per Expro.
- Regular Ukrainian attacks on the Russian segment of the Druzhba pipeline have coincided with the decline in volumes.
- Slovakia and Hungary continued to receive oil through the transit route in 2025; the Czech Republic stopped purchases via this corridor in 2025.
Context limitations: The Expro data provide annual volume totals and recipient breakdowns but do not include additional operational details or traffic schedules.