TNK-BP CEO may have to leave Russia - source

MOSCOW, July 1 (Reuters) - The head of BP's (BP.L) Russian oil venture TNK-BP may have to leave Russia within weeks, at least temporarily, due to work permit problems as a corporate row escalates at the company, a source said on Tuesday.

"Everybody, including (chief executive) Bob (Dudley) and (chief financial officer) James Owen will have to be out of here unless a quick solution is found," a person with direct knowledge of the situation at TNK-BP told Reuters.

"It is a pure formality and the Russian government is creating a problem for themselves," the source said.

BP and its partners, four Russian or Russian-born billionaires, have been locked in a dispute over the firm's strategy and management tactics for several months.

The Russians have accused BP of limiting TNK-BP's expansion abroad and have demanded that Dudley, a former BP executive, should resign. They blame him for what they say is poor operating performance and for improperly favouring BP.

BP says Dudley has behaved correctly and that the firm's performance compares well to its peers.

It has in turn accused the Russian partners of "corporate raiding", saying they are trying to improperly wrest control of the venture by limiting the number of foreign employees and unfairly criticising BP-nominated managers.

Many analysts suspect the row is mainly about the future ownership of the firm and have speculated that the Kremlin may want to take control of TNK-BP by either buying out BP or the Russian owners to strengthen its grip on the energy sector.

But both BP and the Russian owners have repeatedly vowed not to sell out any time soon and the government has denied it is seeking a stake.