Gazprom says Burmistrova steps down as Gazprom Export chief

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Kremlin-controlled energy giant Gazprom said on Friday that Elena Burmistrova was stepping down as the head of Gazprom Export and was moving to Gazprombank as its first vice-president.

It also said that Dmitry Khandoga, in charge of Gazprom's international business, would be acting director general of Gazprom Export.

The managerial changes at Gazprom, the world's largest natural gas producer by output, are taking place against the background of plummeting gas exports to Europe, the company's key source of revenues, as a consequence of the conflict in Ukraine.

Gazprom's natural gas exports outside the former Soviet Union almost halved last year to around 101 billion cubic metres (bcm).

Burmistrova had worked as Gazprom Export's director general since 2014. She oversaw Gazprom's record-high pipeline gas exports of more than 200 bcm in 2018, after which she declared that level to be the "new reality" for the company.

Gazprom, a linchpin of Russia's commodity-dependent economy with annual sales accounting for around 5% of the country's $2 trillion gross domestic product, is still headed by Alexei Miller, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin.

Gazprom also said on Friday that Vitaly Markelov, Gazprom's Deputy CEO, will take charge of the company's operations on the natural gas market.

(Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin; Editing by Gareth Jones and Mark Trevelyan)