Billionaire Oleg Deripaska sues Russian journalist after court‑ordered on‑air retraction — and a cat‑vomit apology

Billionaire Oleg Deripaska has asked a court to compel journalist Tatyana Felgengauer to honor a settlement they reached, despite her having already published a court-ordered retraction on YouTube with co-host Alexander Plushev. According to Mediazona, a court previously required the two journalists to retract statements echoing activist Olga Romanova’s allegation that Deripaska exerts influence over the Ust‑Labinsk District Court in the Krasnodar region.

Deripaska — a sanctioned Russian metals tycoon — has been a frequent subject of media investigations and legal disputes, and he frequently files defamation suits in Russian courts. The March 2025 order required Felgengauer and Plushev to post a video stating they had no evidence of Deripaska’s interference in Russia’s judicial system. Felgengauer made the statement on April 1 while wearing a “Fuck Putin” sweatshirt. Deripaska’s lawyers say Felgengauer undermined the settlement by remarking on-air that her cat was about to vomit and then apologizing for “the sounds of a vomiting cat.” Deripaska’s filing alleges those remarks were a “deliberate artistic device” meant to discredit the agreement. 

In June, journalists at Verstka and iStories published an investigation reporting that Deripaska is mentioned as a client in a criminal case against several men who involved underage girls in prostitution. Plushev has suggested Deripaska’s new lawsuit aims to distract from that story. Oleg Deripaska maintains deep ties to Ust-Labinsk, where he spent his childhood and pays a portion of his taxes.