Vertically integrated oil and gas companies in Russia. The history of formation and their role in the country's foreign policy

The relevance of the research is determined by the current state of the global energy market: after 2022, a rapid process of forming new trade and economic ties and diversifying the geography of energy resource supplies began. In these conditions, states and companies are making active efforts to occupy new niches and enhance the quality of their supplied goods portfolio. The object of the study is the vertically integrated oil and gas companies of Russia. Vertical integration in energy sector has been characteristic of the development of Western structures since the first half of the 20th century; however, in Russia, despite the historical emergence of such organizations, this process has taken a different path. The subject of the study is the role of vertically integrated oil and gas companies in Russia's foreign policy as an important element of the country's economy and politics. Promising projects of the largest oil and gas companies are now positioning the country among the global leaders in the fuel and energy sector, enhancing Russia's prestige and generating necessary high revenues from export activities in the context of large-scale sanctions and pressure from the West. The methodological foundation of the research includes general scientific, historical, and other methods used in similar studies: in particular, historical-comparative method, systemic and critical analysis, content analysis, etc. The scientific novelty lies in the comprehensive analysis of the historical experience of forming vertically integrated structures in Russia, identifying the main problems at the turn of the USSR's collapse, and focusing on several key features of the activities of vertically integrated oil and gas companies in the country's foreign policy. The study allows for the following conclusions: firstly, the construction of vertically integrated companies occurred with the support of the state and enabled the free movement of capital in the sector, accelerated technological breakthroughs, and developed lagging areas. Secondly, this affected the entire industry and provided Russia with an effective tool for foreign energy policy – the promising projects of the largest oil and gas companies now position the country among the global leaders in the fuel and energy sector and contribute to enhancing Russia's prestige.