MOSCOW, MARCH 16 - RAPSI. The Moscow Commercial Court has registered the Defense Ministry's appeal against a ruling invalidating its order to auction a land plot at the Arkhangelskoye Estate Museum.

The Moscow Commercial Court satisfied on February the Arkhangelskoye Estate Museum's lawsuit disputing the ministry's order.

The ministry signed the order to auction the plot with an area of 20.67 hectares on June 21, 2011.

On August 16, Gradostroy won the ministry's auction of 20.67 hectares near the museum for 754.493 million rubles ($26.67 million). Pursuant to the tender documents, the land plot had a number of encumbrances.

The museum management believes that the ministry was not entitled to auction the land as most of the area (12 hectares) falls within the museum's preservation zone, while a smaller area (0.78 hectares) is the estate's actual territory. Therefore, the State Property Management Committee -- and not the ministry -- should have had the right to dispose of the land, the plaintiff said.

The ministry's lawyer in turn referred to an agreement signed between the museum and the military sanatorium adjacent to the estate in 1996. The disputed land plot was not part of the areas of joint use under the agreement, the lawyer said.

The estate is a historical palace and park established in the late 18th century near Moscow. Renowned collector and art lover Prince Nikolay Yusupov bought Arkhangelskoye in 1810.