The latest cringe-worthy news from Chita, where tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky is whiling away his sentence. The imprisoned ex-head of Yukos is being sued by former cellmate Alexander Kuchma for alleged sexual harassment.

Yes, that former cellmate―Kuchma attacked Khodorkovsky with a knife in 2006, gashing the fallen oligarch's face. Kuchma now claims he remembers Khodorkovsky making homosexual advances at him three years ago and seeks a total of 500,000 rubles (approximately $16,000) in damages.

An in-depth report from Kommersant raises disturbing questions about who's pulling Kuchma's strings and editing his grammar mistakes. Khodorkovsky's lawyers, meanwhile, describe the charge in terms like "farce" and "a shot from a shit cannon." Absurdly enough, "gay" allegations are something of a favored smear tactic in Russia, with opposition politician Ilya Yashin reporting two separate attacks that consisted of one man trying to kiss him on the street and the other videotaping the act.

Khodorkovsky Sued Over Homosexual Claim By Ex-Cellmate [RIA Novosti]
На Михаила Ходорковского напали без ножа [Kommersant]

Photo courtesy of RIA Novosti