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I'm an expat Californian who is obsessed with traveling to strange and exotic destinations in the former Communist Bloc. I also like tacos, beer, surfing, trapshooting, and the geopolitics of oil. I currently live in Arlington, Virginia and work in Washington, DC. Read more about me here, check out my photo album, or send me an e-mail.

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    Don’t bother trying, you’ll never ever find a surer friend than Gazprom

    Definitely the greatest corporate anthem I have ever heard. Go Gazprom!

    Don’t bother trying, you’ll never ever find
    A surer friend than Gazprom
    We’re giving people warmth and light
    For office and for home
    We should always keep in mind
    From dawn till sun down,
    That our work is always needed
    Working day or holiday
    Ref.:
    Let’s drink to you, let’s drink to us,
    Let’s [...]

    Once we feed gas to entry point of Ukrainian gas transmission system, it is to appear at exit point!

    I really wish Gazprom would post videos of their press conferences, because it would be rather hilarious to see Sergey Kupriyanov and Alexey Miller shouting their statements to reporters:

    As of January 7, when Gazprom was forced to cease gas supplies, the transit pipelines in Ukraine were filled with Russian gas. Therefore, the pipeline pressure is [...]

    I love Gazprom’s press releases

    Especially when they use exclamation marks!

    Providing gas for technological needs is the sole responsibility of transiting party!

    Indeed!

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    It’s that time of the year

    Gazprom and Ukrainians fighting over natural gas contracts again:
    Russia’s state-owned energy company, Gazprom, will cut off gas deliveries to Ukraine on January 1 unless a new contract is signed, a company spokesman has said.
    “We would like to avoid such a scenario, we would like to agree on everything before New Year, but as you understand, [...]

    Okhta Center (aka Gazprom City) on hold

    Well, something good has to come out of this financial crisis, right?
    From the department of silver linings comes this item from Russia: because of the financial crisis, plans for a controversial skyscraper that would have towered over St. Petersburg’s low-slung Baroque skyline have been delayed and — preservationists, architects and many residents fervently hope — [...]