Gazprom asks the Russian court to stop the rampant arbitration of OMV

Gazprom has filed a new lawsuit with the Arbitration Court of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region to prohibit the subsidiary of the Austrian OMV from continuing arbitration proceedings in Stockholm. Earlier, despite the ban of the Russian court, the company won two trials — for 230 million euros and 48 million euros. Gazprom considers arbitration in the countries The EU is now unfair.

Gazprom Export asks the Russian court to prohibit the "daughter" of the Austrian oil and gas company OMV — OMV Gas Marketing and Trading GmbH, to continue arbitration proceedings in Stockholm," TASS reports with reference to the file of arbitration cases.

According to the agency, on the eve of Gazprom accepted Gazprom Export's lawsuit against OMV Gas Marketing and Trading GmbH and scheduled its consideration for October 16.

A year and a half ago, in May 2024, the Arbitration Court of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region has already satisfied one claim of Gazprom banning OMV Gas Marketing & Trading GmbH from continuing the proceedings and imposed a fine of 575 million euros.

However, the Austrian company continued. In November, she announced that she had won compensation of 230 million euros. This was the reason for non-payment of Russian gas supplies, after which Gazprom stopped exporting to Austria.

Next, OMV announced that it had won another 48 million euros in January. The company received gas under two contracts — for Germany and Austria. They were supposed to be in effect until 2040.

However, OMV, after the arbitration decisions, tore them up. The company is demanding compensation, as it believed that it had suffered due to cuts in Russian gas supplies since 2022. Due to sanctions and counter-sanctions, supplies via the Nord Stream gas pipeline stopped at the end of August. In September, Nord Streams was undermined.

Gazprom, in turn, insists that in the current situation it is difficult to count on fair arbitration in the EU and are trying to stop them through the Russian courts.

As EADaily reported, the momentary benefit that Austrian OMV received from stopping Russian gas supplies turns into more significant losses for the Central European energy giant. Without Gazprom, prices in the region have risen, and OMV's margins have plummeted.

For example, the price difference on the Dutch TTF exchange, which is the most liquid in Europe, and the Austrian Baumgarten has increased significantly. According to EEX, if on August 28 last year it was $ 19 per thousand cubic meters, then a year later it will be $ 42. This is an overpayment of $ 23 million for every billion cubic meters.

Such an increase in costs affected OMV immediately. In the quarterly report, the company reports that the revenues of the Gas and Electricity Sales division decreased by more than two—thirds in the first half of 2025 - from 297 million euros to 97 million euros. And in "Gas sales in Western Europe" — from 220 million euros to 116 million euros. The company complained about low surcharges for industrial enterprises and margins — the difference between purchase and sale, including for pre-stored gas in storage facilities.