German prosecutors raid sites over Gazprom Germania sabotage probe

The German Federal Prosecutor's Office carried out raids on premises in Berlin and a company in Frankfurt as part of an investigation into a suspected sabotage of Germany’s gas supply. The probe focuses on a Russian suspect accused of aiding violations of the Foreign Trade Act and of attempting a constitutionally hostile sabotage by facilitating the 2022 sale and liquidation of the former Gazprom subsidiary Gazprom Germania.

Gazprom Germania, which at the time controlled at least a quarter of Germany’s gas‑storage capacity, was transferred to a Moscow‑based entity that ordered its immediate liquidation without approval from the German Ministry for Economic Affairs. The ministry intervened, placing the company under temporary trusteeship of the Federal Network Agency, thereby averting the shutdown. No arrests have been made; the customs criminal office continues the investigation. The former subsidiary was later nationalised and renamed Securing Energy for Europe (Sefe).