Putin's perverse pals Turning to the pending TNK-BP sale, we can't call that one a gift. After all, BP paid $8 billion for its half-share of the venture in 2003. For the sale -- its Russian partners are also unloading their stake to Rosneft -- it'll receive $17.1 billion in upfront cash. That's on top of the $19 billion in dividends it's collected from the partnership through the years.