Fridman noted that the rapid growth came "despite disruptions at the shareholder level" -- a clear reference to the boardroom battle the Russian tycoons who control half of the firm are waging against their British partners. The Russian partners argue they have a right of first refusal on any BP project in Russia, and have since rejected a buyout offer from the British firm. The local billionaires have used the courts to successfully block BP's deal with Rosneft, which is Russia's largest oil company.