"Finance problems may hobble company work, exports being no exception," says Alexander Razuvayev, Megatrustoil head expert. It is hard to make forecasts now, he complains. "If exports stop, that will be very bad not to Yukos alone-the entire Russian economy will stand to lose. I don't think the dire prospects will come true, but everything is possible, the way things are today."
"I cannot rule out Yukos chucking exports if the situation develops in today's vein. It appears hardly probable now, but if it does, it will dampen Russia's reputation of steady alternative petroleum exporter. That's a most unwelcome prospect, considering that things are steadying down in the Gulf," says Maxim Shein, chief of Brokercreditservice analytical board.
Andrei Piskunov of the Zerich Capital Management investment company is of a similar opinion. "If the Tax Ministry remains just as pressing with its claims, petroleum drilling and exports will have big problems. If things go on that way for a long time, the day will come when Yukos will no longer afford oil piping," he warns.
