Peter O'Brien, Rosneft Vice President, also described Khudainatov as a long standing oil industry professional.

"I have been working with him for two years already. He knows the oil business well, including its economics. He is an energetic, professional and a sociable person."

Anastasia Sosnova, an analyst from Investcafe, says the new appointment will change little domestically.

“The move isn’t likely to change much strategically in the domestic market. The Company will keep on realizing Governmental policy in the Fuel and Energy sector.”

Sosnova also noted that Khudainatov's successful experience in the development of Yuzhno-Russkoye field, a source for the Nord stream gas project, would contribute to the Rosneft’s international promotion.

“Khudainatov, with his experience of Russian – German cooperation, can introduce Rosneft to foreign markets, that the Company has been trying to fight its way to with much effort.”

Sosnova concludes that it is internationally where Eduard Khudainatov will be looking to implement strategic challenges.

“Rosneft has continually announced about the purchase of German oil refineries from Venezuelan PDVSA, but issues in this direction haven’t advanced much further from talks even with an amicable country. So, a foreign expansion strategy is a serious challenge, as a domestic expansion strategy has already been implemented by the former President Sergey Bogdanchikov.”

Unicredit Securities oil and gas analyst, Artyom Konchin, believes the move tightens government control over Rosneft.

“It amounts to a bit of a more consolidated control over the company from the Government site that perhaps will be a bit less volatile in its decisions and probably the leverage that the company itself could weight over the government could be less.”