Short answers, pulled from the story.
Turkmenistan holds the world's fourth-largest reserves of natural gas. The Galkynysh Gas Field alone is estimated to possess the second-largest volume of gas in the world, with reserves of 21.2 trillion cubic metres. China is the country's largest gas customer, purchasing over 30 billion cubic meters annually as of 2019.
Saparmurat Niyazov, also known as Türkmenbaşy or "Head of the Turkmens," ruled Turkmenistan from 1985 until his death in 2006. On the 28th of December 1999, parliament declared him President for Life. He was succeeded by Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, who won a non-democratic election in early February 2007.
The Ruhnama, or "Book of the Soul," was a religious text written by President Niyazov and published in separate volumes in 2001 and 2004. It formed the basis of the educational system and was required to be displayed in mosques beside the Quran. Knowledge of the Ruhnama was even required to obtain a driver's license.
According to Reporters Without Borders's 2014 World Press Freedom Index, Turkmenistan ranked 178th out of 180 countries, placing it just above North Korea and Eritrea. Transparency International's 2021 Corruption Perceptions Index placed Turkmenistan tied for 169th place out of 180 countries, with a score of 19 out of 100.
Russian forces crushed the last significant armed resistance in Turkmen territory at the Battle of Geok Tepe in 1881. Shortly after, Turkmenistan was formally annexed into the Russian Empire. A previous Russian attempt to conquer the Ahal area in 1879 had been defeated by the Teke Turkmens.
Turkmenistan banned all satellite dishes in April 2015, the same month it launched its first communications satellite, TurkmenSat 1. The government ordered all existing dishes removed or destroyed, stating its primary target was Radio Azatlyk, the Turkmen-language service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.