“In accordance with the current sanctions law, our company neither imports gas from Russia nor trades it. We operate in full compliance with the regulations, under the same market conditions as our competitors. I believe that LNG should be included in the next round of EU sanctions,” said Paweł Rudnicki, CEO of Omne Energia, in an interview with Gazeta Polska.
On the premises of a bus depot purchased by MZA stands a gas fueling installation for buses. It is owned by Omne Energia—a company previously controlled by Russian owners—and was sold for the symbolic amount of 3 złoty. Why such a low price?
“The sum may seem symbolic,” Rudnicki clarifies. “In reality, at the time of the sale in September 2024, Omne Energia’s predecessor was in dire financial straits. After being placed on the sanctions list, the company could no longer purchase gas from the Świnoujście terminal, sell gas to clients, or earn income from its infrastructure. Despite this, it was still legally required to maintain its gas conversion installations at client sites, perform safety inspections, and employ technicians—an obligation that cost more than 20 million złoty annually. Month after month, bankruptcy became increasingly inevitable.”
Independent professional valuations confirmed that as early as Q1 2024, the company’s market value had dropped to zero. An auditor warned that by 2025, the firm would no longer be able to meet its financial obligations. “This reality stood in stark contrast to the alleged ‘multi-million valuation’ some media reported,” Rudnicki emphasized.
Still, the company had tangible assets—contracts, accounts, and installations like the one at Płochocińska Street. Weren’t they worth something?
“While there was nominal value in these assets, we couldn’t profit from them. We couldn’t sell them, monetize them, or transfer earnings,” Rudnicki explained.
Why not?
“The sanctions law was designed to prevent any money transfers to Russia. Russian owners couldn’t repatriate the funds. The assets were effectively and permanently frozen. In both 2023 and 2024, the company operated under the supervision of the Ministry of Finance and the National Revenue Administration, which monitored all transactions to ensure funds were only used for staff salaries and equipment maintenance. The previous owners couldn’t generate any profit from the company.”
This reality gave a group of Polish employees a strong incentive to negotiate a takeover and fully ‘Polonize’ the company.
Recently, Gazeta Polska reported that Omne Energia’s current vice president had previously served as deputy head of CP Energia—a company that collaborated with Gazprom in the 2000s. Does this past affiliation affect Omne Energia’s operations today? Are there any current ties to Russian or Belarusian entities?
“That’s a key question,” Rudnicki said. “Omne Energia has no agreements or links with any companies or entities from Russia or Belarus. The employee-owned company that holds Omne Energia is also entirely free from any such connections. Our management board, supervisory board, and beneficial owners are all Polish citizens with tax residence in Poland, and none of them have ties or agreements with Russian or Belarusian entities.”
Again reiterating: “We do not import gas from Russia. We do not trade Russian gas. We operate under the same legal and market conditions as our competition. I believe the EU should extend its sanctions to cover LNG. Three years after Russia’s criminal invasion of Ukraine, Europe should stop importing LNG from that direction—especially with alternatives like Qatar, the U.S., Algeria, or Norway available.”
But until the invasion and imposition of sanctions, trading Russian gas in Poland was legal. It was even imported by state-owned enterprises, and smaller firms brought in LNG and LPG, regardless of the ruling party.
“For decades, the gas market was intertwined with eastern imports. But that’s the past—at least I hope so,” Rudnicki said. “Yes, our current vice president was deputy head of CP Energia from 2007 to 2010, but that has no bearing on Omne Energia’s current operations.”
When did Omne Energia first apply to be removed from the Ministry of the Interior and Administration’s sanctions list, and why?
“Since February 2022, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, we—company employees and board members—began exploring the idea of buying the company. We were deeply affected by the news and stories from our Ukrainian colleagues. The former owners were not opposed to selling but appeared to be waiting out the war in hopes of resuming business later. Being listed on the sanctions list by the Interior Ministry effectively ended that possibility.”
“The first request for delisting lacked full documentation. No one really knew how that process worked yet. As managers, we wanted to show the owners we were serious about buying the company. The request was rejected, signaling to the Russians that they would not be regaining control of the assets. Their choice was now to sell or face bankruptcy—something experts predicted would happen in 2025. From their perspective, Omne Energia had become a growing liability, not a ‘multi-million enterprise.’”
Where does the gas currently supplied by Omne Energia come from? And what about prior to 2023?
“The company began diversifying its gas sources even before the war. From 2016 to 2023, only about 30% of our supply came from Russian sources. As of 2025, all gas supplied to our customers comes from the Lech Kaczyński LNG Terminal in Świnoujście—purchased either from Orlen Group or from certified trading firms that provide documentation verifying the origin of the gas.”
“Omne Energia complies with both Polish and international laws, especially regarding supply routes and energy security.”