Germany’s economy ministry announced Monday that Berlin has taken control of the local unit of Russian gas giant Gazprom, saying Gazprom Germania violated the country’s foreign trade law, Business Insider writes.

The move came after the Economy Ministry learned that the Gazprom unit in question had been acquired by Palmary SA and Gazprom Export Business Services LLC, but did not identify who the owners of the two companies were.

According to Economy Minister Robert Habeck, “The federal government is doing everything necessary to maintain security of gas supply in Germany, which also includes preventing the country’s energy infrastructures from being subjected to the decisions of the Kremlin.”

The company itself, Gazprom Germania, manages gas storage, gas transportation and electricity trading in Germany.

Germany’s federal energy regulator, the Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur), will serve as Gazprom Germania’s interim trustee until September 2022.

Last week, Germany activated a contingency plan for natural gas supply disruptions after Moscow demanded payment for gas in rubles and threatened to cut off Russian gas supplies to Europe completely.

Berlin called on all energy consumers – both industry and households – to conserve energy and reduce gas consumption. If things worsen, the country may ration gas supplies.

Germany has said it is considering nationalizing Gazprom and Rosneft units in the country and expropriating Gazprom’s assets, forcing it to sell its gas storage facilities across the country.