German federal prosecutors announced Wednesday that law enforcement carried out searches at multiple locations as part of an ongoing investigation into a suspected effort to undermine the country’s gas supply — an effort tied to a murky ownership maneuver involving the former German arm of Russian energy company Gazprom.
According to prosecutors, police conducted searches at the Berlin residence of a suspect and at the home of a second individual who is not under investigation. A third location — an unnamed company in Frankfurt — was also searched. Prosecutors confirmed that nobody was taken into custody.
The individual under investigation is a Russian national whose identity has not been disclosed. That person faces suspicion of serving as an accessory to violations of Germany’s foreign trade investment regulations, as well as being an accessory to attempted sabotage against the constitutional order, according to a prosecutorial statement.
The case traces back to events shortly after Russia launched its full-scale military invasion of Ukraine in 2022. German officials said that around that time, the parent company announced it was pulling out of its German unit, known as Gazprom Germania. The buyer then reportedly ordered the unit to be liquidated — a step that is not permitted before a purchase receives official approval.
German authorities responded by placing a federal government agency in charge of Gazprom Germania, effectively blocking the attempted shutdown. Officials described the unit as being of critical importance to natural gas trading, transportation, and storage across Germany. The company was later brought under full government ownership and is now called Securing Energy for Europe.
Prosecutors believe the sale of the unit to a Moscow-based company with no ties to the energy sector — combined with the attempted liquidation — was designed to disrupt Germany’s gas supply, given the country’s support for Ukraine. The suspect is believed to have actively assisted in carrying out the decision to liquidate the company with that goal in mind.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Germany moved quickly to cut its reliance on Russian natural gas. Moscow subsequently halted its remaining gas deliveries to Germany. Shortly afterward, underwater explosions damaged the Nord Stream pipelines, which were constructed to deliver Russian natural gas to Germany beneath the Baltic Sea.
