When the CEO of Russian state gas giant Gazprom, Alexei Miller, opened a lavish Italian palazzo-styled building in central St. Petersburg to house the company's export arm 11 years ago, he augured a future funded by European sales.
"This is symbolic," he said, referring to the modern new offices in Russia's most European city. "Europe will increasingly need Russian gas."
Instead, the opulent offices have come to symbolize Gazprom's rapid decline, dragged down by the almost total loss of European markets after the war in Ukraine ruptured Russia's ties with the West.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.