“I have just learned that the Supreme Court chairman has made the decision to start an oversight inquiry into our complaints,” Khodorkovsky’s lawyer, Vadim Klyuvgant, told Interfax today. “I can only say one thing: this is either yet another special operation with the use of the court or the first step towards justice. I hope for the latter.”

“We will see how the situation develops, and what the follow-up events and outcome will be,” he said. “The decision alone does not tell us anything.”

The Russian Supreme Court officially confirmed the launch of review proceedings in response to appeals lodged by both Khodorkovsky and Lebedev.

A court spokesman confirmed: “Supreme Court Chairman Vyacheslav Lebedev, having looked into supervisory appeals filed by the defendants [Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev], overturned a Supreme Court judge’s ruling that rejected these appeals and ordered the start of review proceedings.”