The Russian State and Russian Energy Companies analyses the
development of relations between the state and five major energy
companies, and how this shaped Russia's foreign policy in the
post-Soviet region. The book argues that the development of Russia's
political economy mattered for foreign policy over the quarter of a
century from 1992 to 2018. Energy companies' roles in institutional
development enabled them to influence foreign policy formation, and they
became available as tools to implement foreign policy. The extent to
which it happened for each company varied with their accessibility to
the Russian state. Institutional development increased state capacity,
in a way that strengthened Russia's political regime. The book shows how
the combined power of several companies in the gas, oil, electricity,
and nuclear energy industry was a key feature of Russian foreign policy,
both in bilateral relationships and in support of Russia's regional
position. In this way, Russia's energy resources were converted to
regional influence. The book contributes to our understanding of
Russia's political economy and its influence on foreign policy, and of
the formation of policy towards post-Soviet states.