German prosecutors conducted a series of searches as part of an investigation into a possible attempt to “disturbe the country’s gas supply” during the change of ownership of Gazprom’s subsidiary Gazprom Germania. The Associated Press writes about this.
The main suspect in the case is a Russian citizen. He is suspected of violating investment rules, as well as assisting in an attempted unconstitutional act of sabotage.
According to investigators, a few weeks after the start of the large-scale Russian-Ukrainian war, when Gazprom announced its withdrawal from the capital of Gazprom Germania, the buyer of its share tried to liquidate the company. According to the Prosecutor General’s Office, the aim was to disrupt natural gas supplies to Germany as a major ally of Ukraine.
In fact, the liquidation did not take place, as it was prohibited until the final approval of the deal itself. Gazprom Germania was placed under the temporary management of government agencies and then nationalized.
Before the war, supplies from Russia provided approximately 55% of the German gas market.
Now the former Gazprom Germania operates under the name Energy Insurance for Europe. The authorities plan to privatize the company in 2028.