MOSCOW. June 10 (Interfax) - Russian businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin has filed a lawsuit against the editors-in-chief of the Ekho Moskvy radio station and website, demanding the removal of allegations of him having links to the private military company Wagner.
"Yevgeny Viktorovich Prigozhin has filed a lawsuit with the Presnya District Court of the city of Moscow against the Ekho Moskvy radio station, Editor-in-Chief Alexei Venediktov, and website Editor-in-Chief Vitaly Ruvinsky. The plaintiff insists on information saying that Yevgeny Viktorovich is the 'boss of [private military company] Wagner' being ruled untrue," the press service for Prigozhin's Concord company said.
The businessman demands that the editors remove the information and publish a retraction or face a fine of 200,000 rubles and each pay 30,000 rubles for every day of non-compliance with the court ruling.
Venediktov said he was ready for legal proceedings.
"I am passing this lawsuit on to my lawyer Kaloi Akhilgov, and we will go to the court. I don't even know what to comment on here," Venediktov told Interfax on Thursday.
Venediktov said the remarks which gave rise to the lawsuit were made live on the air and reflected his personal opinion. They did not belittle or violate the businessman's honor or dignity, he said.