PHOTO
Image used for illustrative purposes, employee walks at Mashivske gas field 400 km (248.5 miles) east of Kiev, December 23, 2008. The Russian gas export monopoly Gazprom has threatened to cut off gas supplies to Ukraine, saying it must pay off debts of $2 billion by the end of the year. Ukraine's state energy company, Naftogaz, said it no longer had any arrears for imported gas and warned it would be difficult to ensure the transit of gas through its territory to Europe if Russia cuts supplies. Picture taken December 23, 2008. REUTERS/Konstantin Chernichkin
MOSCOW - Russia's largest natural gas producer Gazprom plans to start hydrocarbon production at the El Assel project in Algeria in 2026, TASS news agency quoted Russia's Energy Minister Nikolai Shulginov as saying on Thursday.
(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)