The Moscow Times quoted the Moscow Arbitration Court said that it ruled in favor of Rosneft in a RUB 5 billion claim against smaller rival Russneft which bought a disputed former Yukos unit.

A court spokesman said "There was a ruling to satisfy the plaintiff's claim against Russneft."

A Rosneft spokesman said the company was satisfied with the ruling.

Russneft bought the disputed Zapadno-Malobalykskoye or ZMB production unit from Yukos just before the company formerly Russia's largest oil producer, was bankrupted for tax debts and its production units were sold off.

Another former Yukos unit, Samaraneftegaz now owned by Rosneft, filed a RUB 5 billion claim demanding that the court award it a stake in ZMB.

Samaraneftegaz said in its claim that Yukos assets were frozen when it sold ZMB and that the sale was illegal.

ZMB produces more than one fifth of Russneft's annual output. The other half of the disputed production unit is owned by Hungarian refiner MOL in which Rosneft rival Surgutneftegaz recently bought 21%.

MOL is also suing Russneft. A source familiar with MOL's claim said earlier that MOL was demanding 5 billion rubles in compensation for oil sold by ZMB.

(Sourced from The Moscow Times)