Russian politician Alexei Navalny has been ordered to delete a viral video accusing Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev of corruption.
Moscow's Lublinsky court ruled on Wednesday that the clip damaged the reputation of Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov. In the video, Navalny accuses the Uzbek-born billionaire of “gifting” a multi-million dollar mansion to a non-profit organization that channeled illicit money directly to Medvedev.
Navalny's spokesperson, Kira Yarmysh, said Navalny's Anti-Corruption Fund (ACF) had been asked to remove the website which hosted the original clip in its entirety, despite Usmanov's name being mentioned in only one section of the report. Navalny was also asked to issue a public apology.
ACF member Georgy Alburov has already claimed that the group will not carry out the ruling, writing on Twitter that his team "didn't plan to delete anything."
The video investigation currently has more than 21 million views on YouTube.
Navalny will appeal the case, the Interfax news agency reported.
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