Given the scale of its reserves (16.8 % of the global total, according to BP) and output (605 Bcm in 2013), Russia is a major, perhaps essential, supplier for the European Union and international markets. Its gas industry is dominated by a powerful player, the Gazprom financial holding brought into existence by the reforms which followed the collapse of the Soviet Union and its centrally planned economy. Gazprom occupies a unique position in the world market. In terms of reserves (70 % of the Russian Federation’s gas reserves), output (487 Bcm), and exports (233.7 Bcm), it is the largest vertically integrated gas company, with interests ranging from exploration to transport. It has a monopoly on Russia’s Unified Gas Supply System (for long-distance domestic transport) and on exports by gas pipeline, thanks to Gazprom Export, a wholly owned subsidiary. As such it is an essential player in the European gas market.