Natlata said on Wednesday that PetroNeft withdrew the notice, and therefore, its “legitimate rights as a shareholder are not under threat”.

Natlata’s chief executive Maxim Korobov said: “I am glad that the current directors of PetroNeft have seen the error of their ways. An expensive and distracting exercise has been avoided.”

“This latest action clearly shows that the board have lost sight of what they should be doing, namely getting oil out of the ground and delivering for all stakeholders.