German prosecutors raid former Gazprom unit in gas sabotage probe

German federal prosecutors raided properties in Berlin and Frankfurt am Main on June 24 in a sabotage probe tied to the former Gazprom Germania unit, extending scrutiny of Russia-linked energy assets long after Germany cut back its dependence on Russian gas.

The investigation centers on a Russian citizen whose name has not been released. Prosecutors say he is suspected of aiding attempted unconstitutional sabotage and violating Germany’s foreign trade and investment rules. No arrests were reported.

The case reaches back to the spring of 2022, when Germany’s Federal Network Agency was appointed fiduciary over Gazprom Germania on April 4 after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and concerns over an unclear transfer of the company’s shares to an abroad-based firm. German officials said the company was of paramount significance for natural gas trade, transport and storage, and prosecutors have said Gazprom Germania held at least 25% of Germany’s gas storage capacity in March 2022.

The company was renamed SEFE Securing Energy for Europe on June 20, 2022, then fully nationalized by the German federal government in November 2022. On December 20, 2022, the European Commission approved a €6.3 billion German recapitalization measure for SEFE, underscoring how closely Berlin and Brussels linked the company’s finances to broader energy-security concerns.

Investigators are now examining the winding down and sale of the company in 2022, including an alleged liquidation plan tied to a Moscow-based buyer with no industry connection. That buyer is said to have ordered liquidation before the purchase had been approved, and Berlin blocked the move through the regulator.

The raids show how Germany’s energy-security exposure has not disappeared with the easing of the gas crisis. A former Gazprom subsidiary that once sat inside the machinery linking Russian gas to German markets is now at the center of a suspected sabotage case, and prosecutors are treating the alleged attempt to interfere with a strategic supplier as a critical-infrastructure threat.