Federal prosecutors raid properties over alleged 2022 plot to disrupt German gas supply involving Gazprom Germania
Federal prosecutors launched raids in Berlin and Frankfurt after investigators said a Russian national allegedly helped liquidate Gazprom Germania in March 2022 to impair Germany’s gas supply.
German federal prosecutors said they ordered searches in Berlin and Frankfurt on suspicion of constitutionally motivated sabotage tied to actions around Gazprom Germania in 2022. Investigators allege a Russian national helped engineer the economic liquidation of the company after it was separated from its parent, a move that authorities say could have harmed Germany’s gas infrastructure.
Federal raids ordered in Berlin and Frankfurt
Federal authorities carried out multiple searches in the capitals as part of the probe, the Federal Prosecutor’s Office said, targeting locations connected to the suspected scheme. Officials described the action as a criminal investigation into attempts to interfere with critical energy infrastructure, and said the searches were intended to secure documents and other evidence.
The raids were ordered under suspicion of “verfassungsfeindliche Sabotage,” a term German prosecutors use for acts that threaten the constitutional order and public safety. Authorities did not name any suspects publicly but confirmed the operation focused on individuals and entities believed to have been involved in corporate transactions around Gazprom Germania.
Allegations of a 2022 plot to disrupt gas supply
Prosecutors allege the conduct under investigation dates to 2022, when the German subsidiary was separated from its Russian parent and subsequently targeted for economic dissolution. At the time of the alleged manoeuvres the company reportedly controlled at least 25 percent of Germany’s natural gas storage capacity, making it a consequential asset for national energy security.
Investigators say the planned sale and liquidation were carried out without required approvals and that the apparent intent was to weaken the reliability of Germany’s gas supply. The probe frames the actions not merely as commercial misconduct but as a broader effort to undermine essential services during a period of heightened geopolitical tension.
Alleged economic liquidation and corporate takeover
According to the public outline of the case, a Russian citizen is accused of taking control of the German entity by indirect or circuitous means after the legal separation in March 2022. Prosecutors assert that this takeover was followed by steps intended to dissolve or render the company economically inert, depriving the market of its storage and distribution capacities.
Those alleged transactions are said to have circumvented German foreign trade law and occurred without the explicit consent of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. The investigators are examining contracts, communications and corporate filings to establish who directed the measures and whether they were coordinated with external actors.
Legal breaches and government intervention
Prosecutors contend the planned business dissolution violated the Außenwirtschaftsgesetz, Germany’s Foreign Trade and Payments Act, which governs changes of ownership and control of strategically sensitive firms. Under that law, significant transfers in companies affecting national security require approval from the relevant ministry, a procedural safeguard authorities say was bypassed.
German authorities countered the alleged scheme by placing Gazprom Germania into provisional trustee administration, an order that the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy said was executed through the Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur). That intervention is credited by investigators with preventing the planned liquidation from proceeding and securing key assets for the market.
Investigation focuses on a Russian national and broader links
While prosecutors have described the suspect only as a Russian national in public filings, the inquiry is probing financial routes, ownership structures and communications that could show coordinated influence from abroad. The Federal Prosecutor’s Office is leading the criminal investigation and has coordinated with regulatory bodies to freeze contested corporate measures and gather evidence.
Officials say potential charges could include attempts to undermine public safety and constitutional order by targeting critical infrastructure, though formal charges have not yet been announced. Investigators are also reviewing whether additional individuals or corporate intermediaries were involved in facilitating the alleged transactions.
Energy security implications for Germany
The case revives concerns about the vulnerability of energy infrastructure and foreign influence over strategically important assets, particularly during the acute supply disruptions experienced in 2022. The fact that Gazprom Germania controlled a significant share of storage capacity made any attempt to neutralize the company a matter of national consequence.
Security analysts note that the alleged scheme, if proven, would represent a convergence of economic and political tactics aimed at leveraging corporate control to affect supply chains. German authorities have emphasized that legal and regulatory tools exist to block such moves, and the current investigation will be watched closely by European energy and security policymakers.
The federal probe remains active, with further searches and evidence analysis expected as prosecutors determine whether to file charges and seek criminal prosecutions. Authorities say they will continue to coordinate with regulatory agencies to protect critical infrastructure while the investigation proceeds.
