MOSCOW/HOUSTON, Oct 7 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Friday that establishes a new operator for the Exxon Mobil Corp-led (XOM.N) Sakhalin-1 oil and gas project in Russia's Far East.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comExxon holds a 30% operator stake in Sakhalin-1, with Russian company Rosneft (ROSN.MM), India's ONGC Videsh (ONVI.NS) and Japan's SODECO as partners.NAVIGATING AN EXITExxon has been trying to exit its Russia operations and transfer its role in Sakhalin-1 to a partner since March, after international sanctions imposed on Moscow.Japan's SODECO was not immediately available to comment, but an official of the industry ministry, which owns a 50% stake in the firm, said it was gathering information and talking with partners.read moreExxon took an impairment charge of $4.6 billion in April for its Russian activities and said it was working with partners to transfer Sakhalin-1's operation."