MOSCOW -- Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov told journalists today that he and his wife, Yelena Baturina, have filed a lawsuit against opposition activist Boris Nemtsov, RFE/RL's Russian Service reports.
Luzhkov said that Nemtsov's recent brochure, "Luzhkov: Itogi" (Luzhkov: The Results), is untrue and therefore libelous.
Nemtsov -- the cochairman of the opposition Solidarnost (Solidarity) movement and a former Russian deputy prime minister -- alleges in the brochure that Moscow city officials lobby for the Inteko company, which is owned and run by Luzhkov's wife.
Nemtsov has long been an outspoken critic of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. He told RFE/RL that he is ready for any court hearings against him, adding that he has the necessary documents to back up the claims he makes in his brochure.
Luzkhov has been mayor of Moscow since 1992. His wife is the richest woman in Russia, with an estimated net worth of more than $1 billion.