The natural gas output of Russia's OAO Gazprom (GAZP.RS) fell 12% on the year to 261.5 billion cubic meters in the period from October 2008 through March, the company said in a statement late Thursday, the Prime-Tass news agency reported.
Gazprom attributed the reduction in its output to lower demand for gas on domestic and foreign markets due to the economic downturn and unseasonably warm weather in the period, as well as an interruption in gas transit through Ukraine.