OREANDA-NEWS.  October 07, 2013. Russian tycoon Alexander Lebedev confirmed this week that he has sold his 4.5 percent stake in the country's flagship carrier Aeroflot.

Lebedev, a banker and former billionaire who has media assets in Britain and Russia, expressed relief at leaving the company.

"This dubious state company no longer deserves such great private investors," Lebedev wrote on his Twitter account.

The shares were sold for more than 3 billion rubles (USD93 million), Prime reported.

Lebedev also owns the UK's Independent and Evening Standard newspapers.