REFILE-Russia investigates 4 major oil firms over prices

(Corrects typographical error in "noting" in second paragraph)

MOSCOW Feb 17 (Reuters) - Russia's anti-monopoly watchdog (FAS) said on Tuesday it had started investigations into four major oil firms -- Rosneft (ROSN.MM), LUKOIL (LKOH.MM), Gazpromneft (SIBN.MM) and TNK-BP TNBPI.RTS over high prices.

"Today we began four investigations," FAS head Igor Artemyev told a briefing, noting that the companies did not cut retail sales during the fourth quarter of 2008 despite falling world oil prices, and actually raised retail prices early this year.

"The companies simply threw a challenge to the Russian government by raising wholesale prices...against a backdrop of tax cuts," he said.

Prices rises are a big issue in Russia where the Finance Ministry reckons inflation could reach 14 percent this year.

Last year, FAS fined LUKOIL and Rosneft a total of more than $100 million for fixing prices for refined products, saying they had used their dominant market positions to set and maintain high prices for jet fuel, gasoil and gasoline. (Reporting by Vlasta Demyanenko; Writing by Toni Vorobyova; Editing by Erica Billingham)