Russia’s efforts to control Europe’s gas supplies through Croatia

By Dr Theodore Karasik

 

Croatia’s biggest trial of the decade has just heard startling testimony from a Hungarian businessman, oil industry consultant Imre Fazakas. In yet another twist, his testimony, in my view, completely contradicts the case brought by Croatian government prosecutors.

The prosecution’s case is that former Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader agreed to accept a €10 million bribe from Zsolt Hernadi, chairman of the Hungarian state-owned oil company, MOL, to gain control over Croatia’s national energy firm, INA, and to spin off INA’s gas trading company to the Croatian government (which ultimately never happened).

These increasing efforts to integrate into the EU system represent a serious danger to the bloc. Colossal corruption in the Croatian judiciary, in my view, has provided an opening for Putin to accelerate his grand strategy to encircle Europe via the weapon of energy.

 

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