MOSCOW, April 11 (RAPSI) – Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov will file a claim with the law enforcement authorities accusing opposition politician Alexey Navalny of defamation, TASS news agency reported on Tuesday.

"Navalny misleads people and his assertions are but sheer instances of libel," the agency quoted Usmanov as having said. According to the businessman, Navalny “crossed the red line” by accusing him of committing a crime.

Usmanov also told TASS that Navalny does not have any moral right to accuse him. The businessman said that he pays taxes and provides thousands of jobs while his spending for charity purposes exceeds $100 million a year.

Earlier, Navalny published a movie on his Youtube channel implying that Russia’s Prime-Minister Dmitry Medvedev had acquired property using non-profit foundations. In particular, the movie implies that Usmanov has gifted a land plot with a mansion to a foundation allegedly controlled by Medvedev. The Prime-Minister said that intent of “these so-called investigations” is to get people out onto the streets and to achieve particular political goals.

According to the updated 2017 ranking compiled by Forbes magazine, Usmanov holds the fifth place in the list of Russia’s richest businessmen with a net worth $15.2 billion. His largest assets are shares in the ore and steel giant Metalloinvest, shares in electronics, media and telecom companies as well as 30% of shares in Arsenal Football Club.