Russia antitrust agency ups pressure on oil firms

MOSCOW Aug 6 (Reuters) - Russian oil companies are refusing to provide data on fuel prices to Russia's Federal Anti-Monopoly Agency, the agency said on Wednesday, threatening legal measures against executives who fail to co-operate.

The agency is investigating whether large firms "abused their dominant position" to maintain high prices on fuel markets after Prime Minister Vladimir Putin criticised the agency for its failure to keep jet fuel and gasoil prices under control.

Oil majors Lukoil (LKOH.MM) TNK-BP TNBPI.RTS, Gazprom Neft (GAZP.MM) and Rosneft (ROSN.MM) failed to provide information, it said in a statement. It said the necessary information had been provided only by Surgut (SNGS.MM).

The agency said it had taken police along to obtain information from the companies on Monday and Tuesday, but didn't say whether companies had been raided.

The agency, headed by a former opposition politician, was publicly chastised by Putin last month.

Putin also said police investigators might join an anti-trust investigation into steel maker and coking coal miner Mechel's (MTL.N) domestic pricing policy, in a sharp attack that sent Russian shares into free fall.

In 2007 the agency issued only about 500 million roubles, or $21 million, in fines, including a 300,000 rouble fine against state gas export monopoly Gazprom (GAZP.MM) for violations of anti-monopoly legislation. (Writing by Melissa Akin; Editing by Paul Bolding)