Rosneft: scaling the heights of power
High-wire deal-making has become the hallmark of Russia's national oil champion. But are expansion plans risking too much?
Rosneft chief executive Igor Sechin, a close confidant of Vladimir Putin since the men worked together in the St Petersburg mayor's office 20 years ago, has been charting a vertiginous course for his company. Lately, he's masterminded both the acquisition of rival Bashneft, in November, and the opaque sale of a 19.5% stake in Rosneft to a consortium in January. But Rosneft built much of its oil-producing process on assets it gained after Yukos's destruction—it's a paragon of Russia's often murky oil world. Still, investors have been stunned by events of recent months, including revelations that Sechin had been involved in a dubious sting operation to arrest the economy minister Alexey Ulyuka
Also in this section
20 February 2026
The country is pushing to increase production and expand key projects despite challenges including OPEC+ discipline and the limitations of its export infrastructure
20 February 2026
Europe has transformed into a global LNG demand powerhouse over the last few years, with the fuel continuing to play a key role in safeguarding the continent’s energy security, Carsten Poppinga, chief commercial officer at Uniper, tells Petroleum Economist
20 February 2026
Sempra Infrastructure’s vice president for marketing and commercial development, Carlos de la Vega, outlines progress across the company’s US Gulf Coast and Mexico Pacific Coast LNG portfolio, including construction at Port Arthur LNG, continued strong performance at Cameron LNG and development of ECA LNG
19 February 2026
US LNG exporter Cheniere Energy has grown its business rapidly since exporting its first cargo a decade ago. But Chief Commercial Officer Anatol Feygin tells Petroleum Economist that, as in the past, the company’s future expansion plans are anchored by high levels of contracted offtake, supporting predictable returns on investment
