Ex-chief of Russia's Gazprom Vyakhirev dies at 78   Gazprom said
Vyakhirev died Monday at his home outside Moscow. The cause of
death wasn't given.  Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev praised
Vyakhirev as a man who helped make Gazprom a "key player on the
global energy market and the backbone of Russia's economy."
Vyakhirev began his career as an oil engineer 1957 and rose
through the ranks of the Soviet Union's oil and gas industries
to become the first deputy gas minister in 1986. He became
Gazprom chief in 1992 and oversaw its steady growth.  Vyakhirev
served as Gazprom's CEO until 2001, when President Vladimir
Putin replaced him with his loyalist, Alexei Miller.