German law enforcement conducted searches in Berlin and Frankfurt on Wednesday as part of a probe into an alleged plot to sabotage the nation’s gas infrastructure.
The Federal Prosecutor’s Office disclosed that authorities inspected the properties of a Russian suspect and an uncharged individual in the capital, alongside those of an unnamed enterprise in Frankfurt.
Investigators are examining the sale of Gazprom’s Berlin-based subsidiary, Gazprom Germania, which occurred roughly a month after Russia’s full‑scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Prosecutors state that the company was removed from the Russian Gazprom Group via indirect share transactions at the end of March 2022, prior to the emergence of a Moscow‑based firm with no industry connections as the new owner.
The new owner subsequently ordered the liquidation of Gazprom Germania, which at the time controlled at least 25 % of Germany’s natural‑gas storage capacity, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors charged a Russian national with facilitating the liquidation resolution, the statement noted, while emphasizing that no arrests have been executed.
Prior to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, Russia was a principal supplier of natural gas to Germany; Berlin has since been compelled to curtail its dependence on Russian imports.
Former Chancellor Olaf Scholz remarked in late 2022 that Germany would no longer allow itself to become dependent on a strategic resource such as gas.
He observed at a Süddeutsche Zeitung‑organized economic forum that reliance on a strategically crucial resource was exemplified by Russia, and noted that, according to discussions with German business leaders, Germany will not repeat that error.
The European Union has pledged to eliminate imports of Russian gas by the end of 2027, aiming to diversify its energy supply.
Michael Damianos, Cyprus’ minister for energy, commerce and industry, declared in January that the EU is shedding counterproductive reliance on Russian gas, marking a decisive move toward an autonomous Energy Union through solidarity and cooperation.
