A man walks past the headquarters of Bashneft oil company in Moscow, Russia, March 20, 2016. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has postponed the privatization of mid-sized oil producer Bashneft, his spokeswoman said on Tuesday, a decision she said was approved by President Vladimir Putin. The privatization of Bashneft was meant to help plug gaps in Russia’s budget caused by an oil price slump and Western sanctions imposed over the country’s actions in Ukraine. The sale was considered one of the crown jewels of the country’s privatization program and was set to pit some of Russia’s most powerful businessmen and officials against each other. Three sources close to the arrangers of the sale, close to Bashneft and close to Russia’s economy ministry said the postponement was a surprise. Natalia Timakova, Medvedev’s spokeswoman, said that the stake sale was postponed for unspecified period of time. The sale was earlier planned […]