Russia-U.K. row may be due to Gazprom expansion

Worsening Russia-U.K. relations could be partly due to energy giant Gazprom's new role in the Sakhalin II project in Russia's Far East, the head of the Audit Chamber said Wednesday.

The natural gas monopoly bought a controlling stake in the vast oil and gas project late last year from Anglo-Dutch oil major Shell at a lowball price following pressure from regulators. London and Moscow are currently embroiled in a tit-for-tat row over Moscow's refusal to extradite a murder suspect.

Sergei Stepashin said: "Gazprom joined the project, and this may not have pleased everyone. This must have been a factor in the harsh reaction [to the extradition refusal] from our British partners." RIA Novosti