MOSCOW, June 20 (RAPSI) - The Moscow Commercial Court has partially supported MTS's defamation countersuit against businessman Yevgeny Grafeyev, who earlier filed a 10 million euro motion against the mobile operator, the court told RAPSI on Thursday.

The court has recognized Grafeyev's posts on his blog as libel, or as discrediting MTS's business reputation. 

It has also ordered Viadeo Independent Media, which is the founder of the RB.ru online resource, to post the court's ruling on the blog homepage.

Grafeyev sought to recover the shares in the Omsk company Mobilnye Sistemy Svyazi that he had sold to MTS, as well as 10 million euros in moral damages.

On Aug. 17, 2001, the businessman sold his 1,250 privileged and 250 ordinary shares in the Omsk operator to MTS for 4.668 million rubles ($157,500).

Grafeyev alleged that MTS threatened, blackmailed and forced him into signing the purchase and sale contract, which resulted in a 21 million rubles loss for him. 

MTS argued that it acted in good faith and has the documents to prove this claim.

Three lower courts in the Moscow Region refused to hear Grafeyev's claim as the plaintiff could not provide any evidence that violence or threats had been used against him. The statute of limitations also ended in August 2002, a year after the signing of the deal.

In August 2012, the Supreme Commercial Court refused to reverse the lower courts' rulings and rejected the plaintiff's supervisory appeal.

According to the PRIME news agency, MTS claimed that Grafeyev continued to disseminate and publish information that defamed MTS even after the hearing, although the court ruled that the information was untrue.

Grafeyev told RAPSI that the first case has not yet been concluded, as he has asked the court to review it due to the emergence of additional facts. 

MTS is the leading communications company in Russia. According to the latest estimates in November, the company serves over 69 million customers in Russia and 105.27 million customer, including subsidiaries, in the former Soviet republics.