Gazprom is seen as dangerously close to the Russian state

Most of Gazprom's media holdings - including NTV, news magazine Itogi and now-defunct newspaper Segodnya - were noted for their criticism of the government before acquisition by the gas firm.

Now, some say that the planned disposal is an indication that the government of President Vladimir Putin is either more comfortable with criticism, or more convinced that it will not emerge.

Others, however, notably prominent opposition politician Boris Nemtsov, argue that Mr Kokh's resignation was prompted by the government's attempts to increase its control over non-state media.

Commercial interests

Whatever the political issues involved, Gazprom maintains that the motivation behind its media acquisitions, and plans to sell, have never been anything but commercial.

News magazine Itogi is one of Gazprom's main media brands

Gazprom's takeover of NTV, which was fiercely opposed by liberals and the broadcaster's staff, was justified by the fact that Gazprom was NTV's main creditor.

And Gazprom has certainly changed course sharply since Mr Miller was installed in June.

After many years under the control of Rem Vyakhirev, a tycoon with close links to the Yeltsin administration, Mr Miller was brought in with a brief to shake the firm up.

In the past few months, Gazprom has pushed through a number of reforms that may help make the firm more attractive to investors.

Gazprom's shares, which are still not completely freely traded among foreign investors, have performed poorly in recent years, thanks to investor concerns over its lack of transparency.