{
  "id": 9340648,
  "title": "When Kremlin energy talking points come with an Oxford address",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/23/when-kremlin-energy-talking-points-come-with-an-oxford-address",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-23T13:15:20.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Euromaidan Press",
    "slug": "euromaidan-press",
    "url": "https://euromaidanpress.com/2026/09/23/when-kremlin-energy-talking-points-come-with-an-oxford-address/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In the realm of Kremlin energy narratives, a lesser-known yet influential figure emerges from the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies (OIES): Katja Yafimava. As a Senior Research Fellow at the institute, which carries the prestigious Oxford name but operates separately, Yafimava's work has often aligned closely with the interests of Gazprom, the Russian energy giant that once financially supported her program.\n\nThe Institute's Gas Program, where Yafimava works, received funding from Gazprom and its subsidiaries prior to the 2022 sanctions, raising questions about the independence of her research. Despite these concerns, Yafimava's analysis consistently seems to land where Gazprom would desire, as documented by the European project EUvsDisinfo.\n\nThroughout nearly two decades of research, Yafimava's work reveals a striking pattern: her arguments often favor Gazprom's positions, particularly during times of energy tension. For instance, in 2017, she dismissed EU and Polish legal objections to Gazprom's full access to the OPAL pipeline as political rather than rational. Similarly, her views on the EU's Gas Directive amendment were framed as a tool primarily aimed at Nord Stream 2.\n\nEven as the war in Ukraine intensified, Yafimava's predictions about the consequences of cutting Russian gas imports remained alarmingly consistent. She warned of potential blackouts in Central and Eastern Europe, a scenario that ultimately failed to materialize. In 2025, she cautioned against a rapid phase-out of Russian gas, stating that REPowerEU created dangerous legal traps for importers. As recently as early 2026, she reiterated that a complete phase-out by 2027 or 2028 was unlikely.\n\nWhile individual judgments from Yafimava are defensible in isolation, the overall direction of her work raises concerns about a deliberate alignment with Gazprom's interests. The consistent framing of energy narratives through an Oxford lens, coupled with the funding from Russian entities, suggests a close relationship between the institute's research and the Kremlin's energy objectives.",
  "summary": "Russian energy disinformation does not always look like propaganda. Sometimes it presents itself in the form of expert analysis, a policy advisor, or technical commentary inside Europe's energy debate, and that is exactly what makes this new form of influence worth examining.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}