Seven of Russia’s largest state-owned oil companies have analogues in the public register of UK companies, although the Russian firms say they have no relation to their British counterparts.
Russian business daily RBK has found at least 7 companies registered in the UK from March to July 2016 that appear to be British «doubles» of Russia’s major oil firms.
The identified companies are: Rosneft Oil Company Ltd, PJSC Tatneft Ltd, JSC Transneft Ltd, Oil Company LUKoil Ltd, Surgutneftegas Ltd , PJSOC Bashneft Ltd, PJSC Gazprom Neft Ltd.
Russian companies or their shareholders are registered as the founders of the British firms and the top managers listed for the UK companies are the same as those of the Russian firms, including Igor Sechin (Rosneft), Vagit Alekperov (LUKoil), Alexander Dyukov (Gazprom Neft), Nikolai Tokarev (Transneft), Vladimir Bogdanov (Surgutneftegaz), RBK reports.
Several sources interviewed by RBK said that the British «affiliates» do not have any relation to the Russian companies.
An RBK source in Tatneft noted that the Russian companies even faced the risk that the shareholders of British Tatneft Ltd could use the name of the Russian company to negotiate contracts or perform deals.
Representatives of LUKoil and and Gazpromneft refused to comment.
Author: Ekaterina Gorlitsyna, RBTH
