Russian influence - CDU demands resignation of "Gazprom trickster" Schwesig

In the affair surrounding the climate foundation of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania to support the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, Prime Minister Manuela Schwesig and Interior Minister Christian level (both SPD) are coming under increasing pressure in view of new findings about possible Russian influence. Research by WELT AM SONNTAG revealed that, contrary to what was claimed, a draft of the foundation’s statutes could not have been written by level, but by a commercial law firm that had been commissioned by the Nord Stream 2 operating company on another matter.

CDU General Secretary Mario Czaja called for Schwesig's resignation in view of the findings. The chairman of the FDP parliamentary group, René Domke, said: "It is now confirmed that Gazprom's influence on the establishment of the foundation was much greater than previously assumed and that the Kremlin's arm reached at least into the ministerial offices."

The suspicion of Russian influence is fueled by an e-mail thatpegel – responsible for the energy department at the time – sent to the head of Schwesig’s state chancellery in November 2020. The minister attached two Word documents to the email. One contained a draft for the statutes of the climate foundation, which was about to be founded at the time.

Level had always assured that it had drafted the statute itself. As recently as May last year, he affirmed that the state government "did not seek advice from any law firm."

The digital footprint of the Word document, the so-called meta data, now casts doubt on this statement. In the “author” section, it is not the name of the dot that is entered, but the international commercial law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer. This raises the question of whether the statutes could have been created under the influence of Russia. The Freshfields lawyers had previously represented the Nord Stream 2 company, a subsidiary of the Russian energy company Gazprom, in a dispute over the regulation of the European gas market.

In view of the possible entanglement, FDP parliamentary group leader Domke demanded: "Schwesig must explain publicly to the state parliament what she knew, when and from whom, and without any gaps". It is confirmed that the influence of the Russian Gazprom on the establishment of the foundation is greater than assumed. "Schwesig has to ask herself what damage her credibility has suffered in the meantime and whether it can be restored at all." The Greens criticized that Schwesig and her cabinet had "made themselves vicarious agents of Russian power networks".

CDU General Secretary Czaja described Schwesig as a "Gazprom trickster". “The allegations against Ms. Schwesig are confirmed. If they come true, one thing is certain: she is lying," said Czaja. "Out of respect for her position she must finally resign." The CDU chairman Friedrich Merz had already called for Schwesig's resignation on Wednesday. Schwesig himself described this as a "transparent attempt to distract from one's own responsibility". The CDU also approved the founding of the foundation in the state parliament.

When asked by WELT AM SONNTAG, Minister of the Interior Level assured that he had “largely” put together the final version of the statutes himself. He was in contact with Nord Stream 2, but not with the Freshfields law firm. "Various suggestions such as forms and templates" were used in the draft. "The metadata indicates that I merged the statutes I created into the file in question, as these already contained the formatting that is usual for a statute," saidleveel.

The climate foundation was founded in early 2021. According to the official announcements, its aim was to promote climate protection and renaturation measures. In fact, the state government apparently wanted to promote the construction of Nord Stream 2 and help companies circumvent US sanctions against the project.

After the start of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, the project was suspended. In September last year, one of the two tubes of the pipeline was destroyed in an act of sabotage off the Danish island of Bornholm.