It has been cast as a titanic struggle between Russian national interests and Western business. But the reality is that the four oligarchs who control AAR, BP's Russian joint venture partner, are deeply plugged in to some of the West's most prestigious corporations and institutions, at the highest levels.

Len Blavatnik, who lives in Kensington Palace Gardens, one of London's most exclusive addresses, controls 4 per cent of Warner Music and sat on the US company's board until last January. His Access Industries Group has been a key player in some of the world's biggest deals and Goldman Sachs offered a multibillion-dollar credit line to help him fund the $12 billion acquisition of Lynondell, the chemicals group.

Mr Blavatnik, a dual US-Russian citizen who owns a 19 per cent stake of Air Berlin, also sits on an advisory board at Cambridge University. He received his master's degree from Columbia University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Mikhail Fridman, the owner of Alfa Bank, rubs shoulders with Robert Zoellick, president of the World Bank, and is an adviser to New York's Council on Foreign Relations, a key shaper of US foreign policy.

His business partners include Lord Hurd of Westwell, the former Foreign Secretary, and Sir Julian Horn-Smith, a director of Lloyds TSB, both of whom sit on the board of Altimo, Mr Fridman's telecoms group.

Viktor Vekselberg's ownership of Renova Group gives him control of about a third of both Sulzer, the Swiss engineering group, and Oerlikon, the Swiss technology company. There has been speculation about a possible merger which would create one of Switzerland's largest conglomerates.

German Khan is the only one of the four with relatively few interests in the West. Most of his business holdings are in Russia.

Times Recommends

• Equitable Life halts £7bn sale on market turmoil
• Potential buyers emerge to save Woolworths staff
• Terrorist attacks close Bombay Stock Exchange