Signal
Submitted
Jun 24, 2026, 13:28 UTC
German prosecutors conducted searches related to suspected Russian sabotage of gas storage via a failed 2022 purchase of Gazprom Germania.
The German Federal Prosecutor's Office is investigating possible sabotage of German gas storage facilities allegedly orchestrated by Russian businessmen linked to a 2022 failed attempt to acquire Gazprom Germania, a former German subsidiary of Gazprom. The investigation targets violations of the Foreign Trade and Payments Act and attempts of constitutionally hostile sabotage. Police conducted searches of residences and business premises in Berlin and Frankfurt connected to a 51-year-old male suspect and a 52-year-old woman, both Russian nationals residing in Berlin. The suspected plan reportedly aimed to purchase Gazprom Germania shares with the intent to disable large parts of Germany's gas storage infrastructure. The German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs intervened at the time to prevent the takeover by alleged Russian frontmen, which is now under reevaluation by the Federal Prosecutor as a sabotage attempt.
Confidence: High
The suspected sabotage attempt involves hostile strategic interference with Germany's critical energy infrastructure by foreign actors of Russian nationality, matching criteria for hybrid warfare signals involving unconventional paramilitary operations targeting infrastructure.
Source URL
https://tagesschau.de/inland/innenpolitik/gazprom-germania-116.html
Source reliability
F
Info credibility
6
Event time
Jun 24, 2026, 10:00 UTC
Event time confidence
unknown
Location
Berlin and Frankfurt am Main
Region
Berlin; Hesse
Primary actor
Russian businessmen linked to Gazprom Germania acquisition attempt
Country
Germany
Countries
Germany
Tags
Gazprom Germania, gas storage, sabotage, Russia, Germany, Federal Prosecutor, Russian businessmen, foreign trade law, energy security, 2022 incident