MOSCOW, May 18 (RAPSI, Yevgeniya Sokolova) – The Lyublinsky District Court of Moscow will review a civil lawsuit filed by Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov against opposition politician Alexey Navalny over protection of honor and dignity, RAPSI reported from the courtroom on Thursday.

The court began a preliminary hearing on Thursday.

Earlier, Usmanov has expressed his desire to file a defamation lawsuit against Navalny. The lawsuit is related to a movie published by the politician on his Youtube channel implying that Russia’s Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev had acquired property using non-profit foundations.

In particular, the movie implies that Usmanov has gifted a land plot with a mansion to a foundation allegedly controlled by Medvedev. The Prime Minister said that intent of “these so-called investigations” is to get people out onto the streets and to achieve particular political goals. Usmanov said that Navalny misleads people and that his assertions are libel.

According to the updated 2017 ranking compiled by Forbes magazine, Usmanov holds the fifth place in the list of Russia’s richest businessmen with a net worth $15.2 billion. His largest assets are shares in the ore and steel giant Metalloinvest, shares in electronics, media and telecom companies as well as 30% of shares in Arsenal Football Club.