MOSCOW, April 28 (RAPSI) – Russia’s oil giant Rosneft filed a lawsuit with the Moscow Commercial Court, accusing RBC Media holding journalists of libel over allegations concerning the company's privatisation, according to court records. 

RBC journalists Timofey Dzyadko, Lyudmila Podobedova, and Maxim Tovkailo, alongside BisnessPress company, RBC newspaper publisher, has been named co-defendants in a case.

The lawsuit was brought after an article about Rosneft privatization headlined 'Rosneft requests authorities to protect it from BP' had been published on the website of the newspaper on April 11. 

Rosneft claims that "information contained in the article published on RBC website is misleading." "It is a baseless fantasy on the part of journalists, or their so-called undisclosed sources,” the company said in the press-release.

Rosneft sought a retraction of the allegations reproduced by a number of other Russian outlets. 

A statement of Rosneft denying the allegations was later published, but without a full retraction of the article, according to Mikhail Leontyev, Rosneft spokesman.

The company does not pursue a claim for damages so far, according to Leontyev.

He added that the journalists referred to the disputed article after Rosneft had filed a denial notice which looked rather suspicious. 

RIA news agency reported earlier in April, citing Economy Minister Alexei Ulyukayev that White&Case law firm had been chosen as legal advisers for the privatisation of Rosneft.