Russian TV channels ready for court battle against Moscow mayor, wife

Luzhkov and City Hall said on Monday they were going to file a defamation suit against TV channels that had aired material attacking the mayor.

On Friday, NTV TV channel aired a documentary accusing Luzhkov and his wife Yelena Baturina of large-scale corruption. The Cap Affair documentary, its title referring to the mayor's famous black cap, said Baturina, the world's third richest woman, had used her husband's position to amass her wealth, reported by Forbes as $2.9 billion.

The 30-minute film also accused 74-year-old Luzhkov of relaxing on vacation while Moscow was choking in the acrid smog that hit the capital this summer.

Other TV channels have also aired material aimed against the mayor.

The Baturina-owned Inteko company also released a statement earlier on Monday, saying it would file a separate suit over what it called "obvious lies."

Some experts have compared the reports with "information wars" fought by Russia's opponent political forces though major media outlets amid the instability of the 1990s.

NTV Director General Vladimir Kulistikov said his channel was ready to face the mayor in court; Kazinform cites RIA Novosti.

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