Russia raids BP offices, prompting oil giant's anger

By the CNN Wire Staff

BP calls raid on office "illegal"

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

NEW: It comes after ExxonMobil signs a deal with Russian company Rosneft, a blow to BP
BP blasts what it calls Russia's "illegal" interference in its work
The raid is related to a long-running battle over oil exploration in the Russian Arctic

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(CNN) -- Russian law enforcement officers raided the Russian offices of oil giant BP, the company said Wednesday, blasting what it called "illegal" interference in its work.

The company issued a statement about the raid, saying there were "no legitimate grounds for such a raid," and that the court decision it was based on should not be allowed to stand.

The raid is related to a long-running battle between BP and Russian partner, TNK-BP, over oil exploration in the Russian Arctic.

It comes a day after ExxonMobil signed a deal with Russian oil company Rosneft that includes Arctic exploration, a blow to BP.

BP said the raid targeted a part of the company that was not involved in the dispute with TNK.

It was ordered by a Russian court in the city of Tyumen, BP said.

"If the Tyumen Court decision is allowed to stand, it means any party can raid a company's premises at will and examine all its documents," BP said.

The Russian Federal Court Bailiff Service, which reportedly conducted the raid, did not immediately answer CNN requests for comment or issue a statement.

CNN's Kendra Petersen and Maxim Tkachenko contributed to this report.