WASHINGTON, Dec. 26 (UPI) -- Since 2005 Kiev and Moscow have squabbled over Ukraine’s natural gas arrears to Russia. In one of Europe’s most enduring energy sagas, according to Russian natural gas state monopoly Gazprom spokesman Sergei Kupriyanov, Ukraine has announced that it will pay Moscow $800 million of its outstanding natural gas debt, leaving the remainder for sometime in 2009. Western Europe is nervously watching the dispute, as Russia now provides 44 percent of the European Union's natural gas imports.

India awards new production contracts; Gazprom and Ukraine battle over gas; Russia and Serbia to sign oil deal

WASHINGTON, Dec. 11 (UPI) -- Implementing military reform is a challenging task for Russian generals. Understanding what's going on is daunting for outside observers. Moscow's military leaders seem to think that the best way to proceed is to keep their dirty laundry out of public view.

MOSCOW, Dec. 3 (UPI) -- Russian leaders, including Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin, said large-scale projects for energy giant Gazprom are moving ahead despite the economic downturn.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 8 (UPI) -- Russia is advancing a proposal that could result in an OPEC-like cartel being formed of Caspian riparian states. Given the deteriorating state of U.S.-Russian relations and the current global financial turmoil, such a move will hardly be welcomed by countries with economies sinking into recession while they try to pay for their energy imports. Russia's proposal for a Caspian Economic Cooperation Organization was floated at a recent meeting in Astrakhan attended by government officials from Russia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Iran and Turkmenistan.

MOSCOW, May 12 (UPI) -- Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has appointed a new government that looks very much like the one he headed as Russia's president.

Record-high energy prices are increasingly dominating Russia's trade relations with Mongolia. As Mongolia imports nearly all of its oil from Russia, the country is feeling pressure from sharp Russian price increases, and the government is seeking legislative changes to ameliorate the effect of the price increases on the population.

WASHINGTON, April 10 (UPI) -- Russia's size has made supplying oil to Asian markets hard, but that's about to change because of a massive pipeline project.

Banks, oil firms to work on petroleum exchange in Russia; Russian investigators deny criminal probe into TNK-BP; Kazakh Parliament ratifies BTC deal with Azerbaijan