Rosneft is buying Alrosa's natural gas assets for a sum between $1-1.5 billion, says Kommersant, as part of an aggressive bid to undermine Gazprom's monopoly.

      Alrosa announced its decision to sell Geotransgaz and Urengoy Gas Company, both located in Yakutia, as early as 2010, before the diamond giant's IPO.

      On Thursday, Alrosa's CEO Fyodor Andreyev confirmed the news of the deal, but refused to disclose either the price or the buyer.