The German company is said to be unable to terminate its stake in St. Petersburg airport, even though the airport is also believed to be used for military purposes. What is really in the contracts – and what role a 163 million euro loan plays.
When Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin’s plane crashed near Moscow shortly after takeoff on August 23, it was on its way to St. Petersburg. According to research by SZ, NDR and WDR, planes from the Wagner mercenary force had already taken off and landed there, at the supposedly purely civilian Pulkowo airport, in 2022. Prigozhin’s final goal Embraer Legacy 600 has once again raised a question that also affects the German airport company Fraport: Is the airport in the birthplace of Russian President Vladimir Putin actually a purely civilian facility – or does it play a military role for the country waging war against Ukraine?