The head of Russia's natural resources ministry said on Friday foreign oil services companies would find it difficult to return to Russia as Western sanctions would give Russian firms the opportunity to take their place in the Russian market.

"(Sanctions) are an excellent excuse to speed up import substitution. It will be harder for our partners to return," Sergei Donskoi said in a post on his official Facebook page.

"The current situation is an excuse to create a large state oilfield services operator in the country ... our foreign partners will kick themselves," he said