As reported today by Kommersant (English translation available here), in mid-February 2013 the Russian Supreme Court took steps towards a possible supervisory review of the sentences handed down against Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev in 2010 and 2005.

Earlier this year, Khodorkovsky and Lebedev sent complaints to the Supreme Court, explaining why their sentences should be quashed as unfounded and illegal. The Supreme Court subsequently asked the responsible lower courts to send it the case materials. The Supreme Court may now review the convictions itself, refer the complaints to the Moscow City Court, or dismiss the complaints altogether.

While some news media reported today that the Supreme Court has already ordered a review, in fact, the Court has merely requested that the lower courts send it the relevant case materials.

The timetable for the Supreme Court’s consideration of the complaints cannot be predicted with any certainty.

Separately, Khodorkovsky and Lebedev have also pointed out that a Moscow City Court ruling against them contains obviously falsified information which qualifies as forgery, and they have requested that Russia’s Investigative Committee open a criminal case against the judges responsible, on charges of forgery by an official.