The arrest of a Russian telecoms and oil tycoon has sent shockwaves through the country’s business community, with some fearing a return to the dark days of a decade ago, when the Kremlin asserted its power by imprisoning the country’s then-richest man and expropriating his companies.

The arrest of a Russian telecoms and oil tycoon has sent shockwaves through the country’s business community, with some fearing a return to the dark days of a decade ago, when the Kremlin asserted its power by imprisoning the country’s then-richest man and expropriating his companies.

Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin was sued for libel in a Moscow court today in a rare case of the Kremlin-loyal justice system agreeing to hear a case against him.