[en] The Russian joint-stock company Gazprom, successor to Gazprom of the former U.S.S.R. and the world's largest gas company, faces a crisis of direction in the middle years of this decade. With recent memories of annual additions to its transmission pipeline capacity of more than 6,200 miles, Gazprom officials must face the economic and operational realities that call for rehabilitation projects rather than new construction. Additionally, the overall demand for natural gas in the former Soviet Union (FSU) is leveling as the economies and energy use of all customer countries are declining and gas has already supplanted oil nearly energy-where possible. With the European gas market showing limited space for additional gas, Gazprom's major task in the short-term must be to maintain current production and supply levels. The paper discusses reserves and production, the transmission system, gas exports, the costs of Russian gas, Gazprom's prospects, and major obstacles