Gazprom's North Sea venture yields £39m profit

Russian energy giant Gazprom made a profit of £39m ($45m) from its gas field in the North Sea last year. The Sillimanite field, operated in a joint venture with German company Wintershall, produces gas that is taken onshore in the Netherlands. While there are no legal issues with the arrangement, the UK, US, and EU have imposed economic sanctions on Russia to limit its ability to profit from energy exports and fund the war in Ukraine. Gazprom executives are under UK sanctions, but the company itself is not. Critics argue that it is unacceptable for gas from UK territory to support Russia's war in Ukraine. The UK government vows to increase economic pressure on Russia and deny it access to goods and technologies that could be used in the war.