Russian energy chief Igor Sechin may leave his post when Vladimir Putin begins his third presidential term in May, the Vedomosti newspaper reported, citing four unidentified government officials.

The main reason behind deputy prime minister's departure would be due to a conflict with current President Dmitry Medvedev, who is set to take the prime minister post, the newspaper said.

"Medvedev and Sechin don't work together, this is a medical fact," one of the sources said. "Sechin is too influential, he would dominate the cabinet. For Medvedev, this is not acceptable."

Sechin, who is a close ally of Putin, will likely be given a powerful post outside of the cabinet, the newspaper's sources said.

The newspaper also said Sechin may be replaced by Sergei Kiriyenko, who heads Rosatom , Russia 's state-owned nuclear holding company.

In a separate article, Vedomosti said Sechin refused to comment on the story, telling the newspaper that it should change its name to "Rumors" if it continued to print unverified information.

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