MOSCOW, April 1. /TASS/: Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov lashed out at those even weighing the possibility of nationalizing the subsidiaries of Gazprom and Rosneft in Germany, branding it unacceptable, at a briefing with reporters on Friday, when responding to a question from TASS.
On Thursday, the Handelsblatt newspaper wrote, citing sources in the German government, that the country’s Economy Ministry was considering nationalizing the subsidiaries of Gazprom and Rosneft in Germany. According to sources, this refers to Gazprom Germania and Rosneft Deutschland.
"Of course, such a plan would seriously violate international law and just about all the rules and laws that you can think of. Therefore, we will monitor it closely. Of course, as far as we are concerned, even the very thought of such an option is unacceptable," the Kremlin spokesman said, replying to a request to comment on the report.
When asked if the adoption of such a decision could affect gas contracts, Peskov replied: "These are different stories."
"However, now we are witnessing a full-blown trend of thuggish seizures of property, absolutely legal property, which occurs through [the seizure] of funds in bank accounts, private property, and so on," the Kremlin official specified.
He also pointed to the "utter mobster-style actions" regarding Russia’s international reserves being seized, which also constitutes an illegal act.
"If they now add examining nationalization to this, then, of course, this does not bode well," Peskov concluded.
