The head of Russia's anti-monopoly regulator has set himself on a collision course with Gazprom by promising to oppose the energy group if it attempts to take over Russia's largest independent gas producer, Novatek, and other domestic production assets.

In an interview with Financial News, Igor Artemyev, the director of the Federal Antimonopoly Service, said new anti-trust laws would give the commission more teeth. He said: "We will try to prevent Gazprom from buying Novatek. If they try to buy even a blocking stake, we will try to stop them from doing that."