MOSCOW, January 1 The Bulgarian Customs Service reported on its website that it carried out an inspection at the warehouses of the Lukoil Neftochim enterprise in the city of Burgas, as well as at more than 50 others tax warehouses across the country against the backdrop of the entry into force of a law banning the export of petroleum products produced from Russian oil at refineries.
The ban on the export of petroleum products produced from Russian oil at the Lukoil Neftochim refinery in Burgas comes into force on January 1, in accordance with an earlier decision of the People's Assembly of Bulgaria. In accordance with this document, from January 1, the plant in Burgas is prohibited from exporting many types of its products, and from March 1, it will be completely prohibited from refining Russian oil.
“In pursuance of the law…on January 1, 2024, customs officers carried out inspections at the Lukoil Neftochim enterprise in Burgas, as well as at more than 50 other tax warehouses in the country for the presence of crude oil and petroleum products subject to restrictive measures,” — Customs said in a statement.
The agency said that about 150 customs officers from the Control, Excise and Customs Intelligence and Investigation divisions were involved. According to the department, the inspection was carried out to “inventory” crude oil and petroleum products at the enterprise.
In 2022, EU leaders reached an agreement to impose a partial oil embargo on Russia. At the same time, Bulgaria was then, as an exception, allowed to process Russian oil delivered by sea until the end of 2024.
According to a secret report prepared for the Bulgarian parliament and obtained by Politico, the Lukoil Neftochim refinery in Burgas has earned almost $1 billion since the introduction of the benefit on February 5, 2023. In turn, Lukoil stated that it pays taxes on time and fully fulfills its obligations to the budget of the republic. However, due to Sofia's desire to limit transactions with Russian oil, the company has indicated that it will review the strategy regarding its assets in Bulgaria, without ruling out the possibility of selling its business in this country.
Russian Ambassador to Bulgaria Eleonora Mitrofanova stated in this regard that the authorities’ decisions regarding the Lukoil Neftochim refinery in Burgas have nothing to do with the civilized regulation of large businesses and warned that this enterprise cannot be purchased at a reduced price, despite all restrictions on his activities.