The Russian oil and gas sector and economy has gone through an extremely difficult period due to the twofold challenge of sanctions and falling oil prices. Owing to the urgency
of the situation, Russian stakeholders, with the support of the Russian state and Russian banks, have progressively reset priorities and objectives. The Yamal LNG project
has shown that a new financial package is possible and that China can be an alternative for a country under sanctions, especially U.S. sanctions. This reshaping process
is ergo leading to what we might call an emerging new Russian energy strategy where relations between all the stakeholders have been reshaped to make the Russian economy
stronger and more resilient to volatility and geopolitical challenges. This has been achieved by looking for alternative financing methods to complete projects on time,
turning to new partners, and trying to limit Western influence on the Russian oil and gas sphere, etc. Moscow was forced to move beyond its accustomed comfort zone. At present,
it is almost impossible to assess whether this ‘emerging strategy’ will be successful in the long run. This should not prevent us from taking stock of the situation by
illustrating its complexity, but also the opportunities, limits, and risks of this step-bystep process.
Even though Russia remains highly dependent on commodity prices and has not yet found a way out of the situation, it has laid the foundations of a new model. As a
consequence, from now on, the following aspects should be carefully studied in the coming months/years to understand what the second step of this ‘reshaping strategy’
might be. At the international level, it would be useful to shed light on the strategies of other petro-states, especially those under sanctions such as the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Before launching the process of adapting Russia’s energy strategy, Moscow took lessons from the Iranian experience. Now, for the first time, Tehran could learn from the
Russian experience. One question remains open: will the Russian experience emulate it? Will China become an alternative for sanctioned countries looking for financial support?
Finally, what will the Russian government decide in response to the recent new round of U.S. sanctions? And what will the reaction in Europe be if new measures affect
EU’s interests and/or European energy companies? Currently, the French government is questioning the legality of the 2017 bill. In Russia, the new strategy of ‘getting by’ put
an end to the long-awaited reform of the taxation regime of the subsoil sector, which was an attempt to restructure Russia’s oil and gas sector. The Russian government is
currently preparing a new taxation system for the oil and gas sector that could contribute approximately RUB 600 billion (i.e. USD 9.9 billion) annually to the budget and could
come into force in 2018. Once again, the general idea is to raise money, not to make sustainable changes. Thus, by solving one problem, Russia is impeding any structural
reform. Upon a detailed analysis of the wider period running from 2000 until today, it may be observed that instead of pursuing structural reforms, the Russian government
has focused its attention on expanding its control over the hydrocarbon sector due to its strategic importance, and on striking a balance between actors as aforementioned.
?).Kukas se sanoikaan, etta "uutiset kuolemastani ovat ennenaikaisia ja kovasti liioiteltuja"? Mutta tuo ylla lainattu oli just syy siihen, miksi tallaista ketjua haeskelin. Nimittain, nuo mainitut maarat ovat avainasemassa. Olemassa olevat kentat on ajettu tuotantomaksimiinsa ja sanktiot alkoivat kaasun/oljyn tuotantoteknologiasta ja koneista. Sitten:
