Thane Gustafson, author of “Wheel of Fortune,” an account of the Russian oil industry after the fall of the Soviet Union, recalled that the oil executives who were instrumental in establishing their companies in Russia — John Browne of BP, Rex W. Tillerson of Exxon Mobil, and Christophe de Margerie of TotalEnergies — were “hailed at the time, and rightly, as models of Western entrepreneurship.”Now, he said, “the participation of the three brand-name majors at this moment is not crucial for Russia, no.” And the momentum to leave Russia is building.On Monday, Equinor, the Norwegian energy company, said it would “stop new investments into Russia” and “start the process of exiting” joint ventures there. “In …
