MOSCOW, October 17 (RIA Novosti) - Russian natural gas exports increased by more than 24%, year-on-year, in the first eight months of 2006, to 141.43 billion cubic meters, energy giant Gazprom's export arm said Tuesday.
Gazexport said 104.9 billion cubic meters was exported in January-August 2006 to countries outside the former Soviet Union, up from 103.56 billion in the same period a year ago. Of this amount, 73.78 billion cubic meters was supplied to customers in Western Europe, as compared with 74.31 billion last year, while 30.31 billion went to Eastern Europe, against 29.25 billion the previous year.
Former Soviet republics received some 37.35 billion cubic meters of Russian natural gas over the period - an almost fourfold increase on last year's 10.34 billion.
