Support The Moscow Times!

Controversial Charity Wins $200 in Kommersant Suit

Federation, a controversial charity headed by a longtime Kremlin insider, won two defamation lawsuits against the Kommersant newspaper on Tuesday, but the court slashed damages from 2 million rubles to a paltry 6,000.

Federation and its director, Vladislav Kiselyov, had filed three lawsuits, bringing charges against Kommersant, reporter Oleg Kashin and the daily's charity projects manager, Lev Ambinder.

The charity sought 2 million rubles ($69,000) in damages but only won a combined 6,000 rubles ($200) from two suits; the third, against Kashin, was rejected, the Rapsi news service reported. The newspaper will also have to retract the sentence "all foundations are a desecration like Federation," which it published in March.

The newspaper will appeal, a Kommersant lawyer told Interfax.

Kiselyov, who worked at the office for presidential affairs during Vladimir Putin's presidency, has also successfully sued the Moskovsky Komsomolets newspaper. In addition, he has lawsuits pending against movie star and philanthropist Chulpan Khamatova and rock critic Artemy Troitsky.

In December, Federation staged a star-studded charity event attended by Monica Bellucci, Alain Delon, Mickey Rourke and many others. Prime Minister Putin even sang "Blueberry Hill" on stage.

But in March, the mother of a girl with cancer claimed that Federation never contributed any of the money it raised during the December event to hospitals. The accusation incited a media frenzy.

Federation later said the event was meant to raise awareness about ill Russian children, not raise funds for them. It then went on a donation drive, providing a number of hospitals with medical equipment.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysiss and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more