Gazprom members, such as Chernomyrdin and the Gazprom Chief Executive Officer, Rem Viakhirev, engaged in asset-stripping. Gazprom assets were shared amongst their relatives. Itera, a gas trading company also received Gazprom assets. In March 1998, for reasons unrelated to his activities at Gazprom, Chernomyrdin was fired by Yeltsin. On 30 June 1998, Chernomyrdin was made Chairman of the Board of Directors of Gazprom. When, in June 2000, Vladimir Putin became the President of Russia, he acted to gain control over Russia's oligarchs, and increase the Government of Russia's control in important companies through a program of national champions. Putin fired Chernomyrdin
Energy and Environmental Security Initiative key decision-makers throughout the world in two ways: First by evaluating the extent to which their existing commitments and pledges are actually working; and second, by facilitating new and better clean and affordable energy solutions. IPECC will provide the information needed to improve the effectiveness of existing commitments and encourage new commitments where necessary. It is designed to track and monitor the implementation of sustainable energy commitments undertaken by governments, corporations and other entities, and to provide detailed information on the extent to which they are being complied with. In doing so it will serve as a watchdog over what