Robert “Bob” Dudley will be fighting for his job as chief executive of TNK-BP today as some of the world's richest men try to oust him from the role.

The four oligarchs who control half of BP's Russian subsidiary are calling for Mr Dudley, 52, to be fired as their war with the British oil giant escalates.

The relationship between BP and its Russian partners appeared to have broken down completely over the weekend as it emerged that both sides had initiated legal proceedings against each other.

BP is to sue its partners for $360 million in back taxes that it believes should not have been paid while the oligarchs are said to have appointed solicitors as part of their strategy to oust Mr Dudley. The billionaire oligarchs, led by Viktor Vekselberg, will call for a vote at a board meeting in Moscow today on whether Mr Dudley should remain TNK's president and chief executive.

Mr Dudley, a Mississippi-born oilman, is expected to survive the vote because BP has more directors on the board, but that will not be the end of his difficulties. This week he must deal with Russian authorities who have withdrawn visas for BP's foreign workers and are preparing to start deportations of key members of staff.

Meanwhile, the oligarchs have appointed Lovells and SJ Berwin in London to start proceedings against other TNK directors should they vote to retain Mr Dudley as chief executive. This puts Mr Dudley at the centre of the battle for control of TNK-BP where the British oil giant has been forced to align itself against some of Russia's richest men and perhaps also the Kremlin.

Mr Dudley has run TNK since the joint venture, which accounts for one third of BP's production, was established in 2003. Prior to that he had been responsible for BP's operations in Angola, Egypt, the Caspian Region and Algeria.

Mr Dudley joined BP when it bought Amoco, the American oil producer, in 1999 and he has worked in Chicago, Aberdeen and Houston during his career.

He can hardly claim ignorance of the state of play in the post-Soviet oil industry and the stresses and strains therein. He had an earlier stint in Moscow. Between 1994 and 1997 he was responsible for the development of Amoco's upstream and downstream businesses there.

The life-long oil man has three degrees so far including two masters in management from Thunderbird in Arizona and from Southern Methodist in Dallas. He took his bachelors in chemical engineering from the University of Illinois.