Oct. 29 (Bloomberg) -- Russian oil output may fall 1.5 percent next year as the country struggles with aging fields, OAO Lukoil Deputy Chief Executive Officer Leonid Fedun told a conference in Moscow today.

Output in Russia's oil heartland of western Siberia is flagging as older fields mature and companies invest in harder- to-reach regions to tap deposits. In July, parliament approved tax breaks championed by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to spur investment in national production.

Russian oil production in September fell 0.4 percent from a year earlier to 9.84 million barrels of crude a day, according to the Energy Ministry.

To contact the reporter on this story: Greg Walters in Moscow gwalters1@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: October 29, 2008 11:23 EDT