The $11-billion pipeline, which has faced stiff opposition from the United States and some European states, was built last September across the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany, but has been idle pending German and EU regulatory clearance.

Projects for the creation of new nuclear power facilities will receive about RUB56 billion from the National Wealth Fund (NWF), another RUB40 billion will be allocated from the budget.

Aboard the Leader, its two reactors are placed side-by-side in the centre of the ship. Their thermal energy will be converted to electricity by a steam turbine by four 35 MWe generators.

Austrian oil company OMV is one of Russian gas giant Gazprom's partners in the pipeline project connecting Russia to Germany, which has been completed but is not yet operational as it is awaiting German and EU regulatory approval.

Russia returned as the top supplier to China's independent refineries in January -- overtaking Malaysia -- with arrivals amounting to 2.77 million mt, up 45.7% from the previous month.

European Commission Vice President Josep Borrell said Russia was using Europe's reliance on its energy exports for "geopolitical gain in the middle of a surge of energy prices worldwide."

She did acknowledge, however, that Gazprom was fulfilling its contracts, "but only at the bottom end of its commitments."

State-run oil giant Rosneft signed a 10-year supply deal with China's CNPC for supplies of 100 million mt, or 200,821 b/d, of crude. Russia's Gazprom signed a 10 Bcm/year gas supply deal with CNPC which will see Gazprom's pipeline supplies to China reach 48 Bcm.

“This is already a second contract to be signed for Russian gas supplies to China, and it is indicative of the exceptionally strong mutual trust and partnership between our countries and companies. Our Chinese partners from CNPC have already seen for themselves that Gazprom is a reliable gas supplier,” said Alexey Miller.

"Aside from a few additional Bcms which could be squeezed out of (mainly LNG) exporters -- probably only on an emergency basis -- there is no substantial, immediately available gas which could compensate for any significant interruption of Russian gas supplies,"