European Energy Review: Putin increases control over Russian energy

Russian President Vladimir Putin has recently created a new Energy Commission by which he is seeking to wrest control over the energy sector from the government of Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. This move will lead to a further strengthening of the role of the State in the Russian oil and gas industry. It is bad news for those who are hoping for a more transparent investment climate, argues Alexander Gusev, Research Fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP).  MORE