Energy policy of Russia and in a few cases explicit political demands are evident. Starting 1 January 2007 Gazprom increased the price of natural gas to Azerbaijan from US$110 to $235 per thousand cubic metres. (At the time, Gazprom charged the EU US$250.) Azerbaijan refused to pay this price and the gas supply to Azerbaijan stopped. On its side, Azerbaijan stopped oil exports to and via Russia. A year earlier, pro-Russian Armenia was hit with the same 100% price increase as Western-oriented Georgia, Vladimir Socor has observed. The Russia-Belarus energy dispute began when Russian state-owned gas supplier Gazprom demanded an increase in gas prices
Sibir Energy Sibir Energy Sibir Energy is a London-based Russian public limited company, whose primary line of business is petroleum and natural gas exploration in Siberia. Its shares were traded on the Alternative Investment Market, part of the London Stock Exchange. As of 2011, it is a wholly owned subsidiary of Gazprom Neft. Sibir was founded in 1996, and since then it had pursued an integrated model for its business operations by retaining a focus on retail as well as its core exploration, extraction and refinery activities. On 21 August 2009, Gazprom Neft made a bid to take over all shares in