German authorities search for sites in connection with the winding down of German Gazprom Unit

German federal prosecutors said on Wednesday that they had conducted searches 'on suspicion of attempted sabotage' in connection with the 2022 closure of Gazprom Germany.

The prosecutors stated in a statement that there are suspicions the sale and liquidation was done to disrupt gas supplies in Germany.

Gazprom didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Berlin sought to reduce its dependency on Russian gas after Russia invaded Ukraine at full scale in 2022.

Prosecutors said that Gazprom Germania had at least 25% of Germany’s gas storage capacity in March 2022.

The shareholders of Gazprom Germania Berlin have effectively separated the group from its Russian parent, they said.

A?Moscow based company without any connection to the industry became the new owner. The statement said that the new owner immediately ordered the liquidation of the Gazprom Germania GmbH.

The report added that a Russian citizen?has been charged? with assisting?the implementation?of?the liquidation resolution in order to disrupt German gas supply.

The German government subsequently?took Gazprom Germany into provisional 'trusteeship?, effectively controlling both the company and its storing sites. (Reporting and editing by Madeleine Chambers, with additional reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin)

(source: Reuters)