The Intervention of the billionaire financier, Mr George Soros, in the ownership battle for Russia's main independent TV station, NTV, has left managers believing they may win their battle to retain editorial control.
Mr Soros said he will join the US TV mogul Mr Ted Turner, owner of CNN, in bidding for a stake in the channel, where staff claim President Vladimir Putin is behind efforts by the energy company Gazprom to take it over.
"Soros is a famous man. If he and Ted Turner buy shares we can only be grateful," said the NTV news director, Mr Gregory Kritchevsky. "I don't think Putin will do anything about Soros." Gazprom, which is partly state-owned, says it is entitled to take control because of the non-payment of a loan taken out by NTV's founder, Mr Vladimir Gusinsky.
Last week it took advantage of an agreement that gives it at least temporary control of the company to sack several members of the board of directors, prompting complex court challenges by NTV lawyers.
Mr Gusinsky is under house arrest in his villa in Spain while Moscow tries to have him extradited to face fraud charges in what supporters say is a politically motivated case.
Under Mr Gusinsky's ownership, NTV was a thorn in the government's side, airing harsh criticism of its war in Chechnya, corruption at home and, last summer, giving damning reports on the fate of the Kursk submarine. But it also ran into financial trouble, and is unable to repay its $261 milliondebt to Gazprom.
Mr Gusinsky was first arrested last May on fraud charges and held for four days, being released after an international outcry. Since then, NTV and some staff have been raided more than 20 times by police and tax and fraud investigators who say they are gathering evidence of wrongdoing.
Station supporters say NTV is being singled out by the Putin government. Gazprom, which is partly state-owned, insists it is acting only out of commercial interest.
NTV officials disagree. "Using Gazprom, the Kremlin wants control of NTV," says Mr Kritchevsky.
On Monday, Mr Putin met with NTV journalists for three hours to assure them this was not the case, reportedly telling them he would not oppose the Turner-Soros bid.
But he muddied the waters by saying that while he supports the station journalists, he wants changes in the management, which Mr Kritchevsky said was an attempt to "divide and rule".
And a new doubt has emerged from the bidders. Mr Turner heads a consortium willing to put $300 million into the station, but he has told Mr Putin he must first have assurances that there will be no "political interference" in running the station.
In a letter to Mr Turner, Mr Putin refused to give such a guarantee, saying, in effect, that as he was not involved in the NTV saga, he was in no position to give guarantees about anything.