The ambitions of Gazprom were dealt a symbolic blow last week when Saint Petersburg’s governor prohibited the gas giant from building a skyscraper in the centre of Russia’s imperial capital.

“We have held talks with Gazprom and reached a final decision to move this project to a different location,” news agencies quoted Governor Valentina Matviyenko as saying, in a reversal of her previous support for the project.

She said her government would also re-impose a ban on tall buildings that it had temporarily lifted to allow the powerful company to proceed with plans to build new headquarters on the banks of the Neva River.

Plans for the 403-metre glass tower had sparked fears that it would spoil the low-rise skyline of the city, whose centre is protected by Unesco, and the project was recently slammed by the Russian culture minister.

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