By Timothy Heritage and Maria Tsvetkova MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian media magnate Alexander Lebedev said as he went on trial on Tuesday that he expected to be jailed over a televised punch-up which he says is a pretext to punish him for criticizing the Kremlin. Lebedev, wearing a dark suit and white sneakers with black laces, spent only a few minutes in court before the trial was adjourned until May 20 after Sergei Polonsky, the man he is accused of punching, failed to show up.

Russia's largest oil producer Rosneft on Tuesday saw its net profit slip 13 percent in the first quarter to $3.3 billion on seasonal factors that included lower sales volumes of petroleum products. Its reported profit for the first three months of the year was slightly above the consensus and included only 10 business days of the company's previous acquisition of Russia's number three oil producer TNK-BP. zak/sjw/wai

By Vladimir Soldatkin and Dasha Afanasieva MOSCOW/LONDON (Reuters) - Rosneft <ROSN.MM> said on Tuesday it may seek an alliance with ExxonMobil <XOM.N> or other partners in Iraq and double its Russian gas market share by 2020, boosting its credentials as the world's largest listed crude producer. Rosneft's Chief Executive Officer Igor Sechin told reporters that the company is considering teaming up with its long-standing partner, ExxonMobil, in tapping oil and gas in Iraq.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Igor Sechin, head of Russia's top oil producer Rosneft <ROSN.MM>, said on Tuesday he would cooperate with minority shareholders in TNK-BP Holding <TNBP.MM>, marking an about-turn after investors complained they were not being treated fairly. Sechin, an ally of President Vladimir Putin, said he was waiting for proposals from the shareholders, just months after saying that he had no obligation to them and would not offer a buyout on completion of Rosneft's $55 billion (36 billion pounds) purchase of TNK-BP.