A row between oil giant BP and its Russian partner TNK has escalated after a Russian executive compared BP’s chairman to arch Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels.

TNK-BP, Russia’s third largest oil producer, is co-owned by BP and three Russian billionaires – Mikhail Fridman, Viktor Vekselberg and Leonid Blavatnik. Recently, however, the venture has been in trouble in Russia, with both sides blaming the other.

Relations between the two have now taken a turn for the worse after Mr Fridman told a Russian newspaper that the behaviour of the BP chairman, Peter Sutherland, during the dispute was “in the best traditions of Goebbels’ propaganda”.

In a news conference, Mr Fridman said the performance of the company has been unfavourable compared to Russian rival Lukoil, laying the blame on BP.

Mr Fridman is threatening legal action to remove the venture’s chief executive, Bob Dudley, and halt a shareholder meeting next week – which the billionaire called “illegal”.

BP has hit back, saying the three shareholders are attempting to undermine the governance of the company to further their own interests.

Analysts say the war of words is linked to a battle for control of the 50-50 venture ahead of a potential sale of the company to either Rosneft or Gazprom.

BP offices in Moscow have been raided and staff have been having visa problems recently, leading BP to accuse the Russians of using “1990s-style corporate raiding” tactics.