A book about Russian President Vladimir Putin's inner circle written by a British journalist has topped the UK bestseller list, its publisher said , after the author was sued by Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich

A book about Russian President Vladimir Putin's inner circle written by a British journalist has topped the UK bestseller list, its publisher said Wednesday, after the author was sued by Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich.

Catherine Belton's "Putin's People", first published in 2020, "is the number one bestselling NF (non-fiction) paperback in the UK", William Collins Books publishing director Arabella Pike said in a tweet.

It was at number seven on The Sunday Times bestsellers list last week.

The critically acclaimed book by a former Financial Times Moscow correspondent faced an onslaught of law suits from Russian oligarchs including Abramovich, three of whom have now been targeted by UK sanctions.

The book was a Sunday Times bestseller when it first came out and sales have spiked again as the war in Ukraine focuses interest on Russia's leader.

She thanked publisher Harper Collins "for making sure that it remained on the bookshelves despite an unprecedented barrage of lawsuits last year".

The publisher eventually settled out of court in December last year with the main claimant Abramovich.

It agreed to alter some passages in future editions of the book about him, including over the Kremlin's role in his acquisition of Chelsea football club.

Abramovich, who bought Chelsea in 2003, was placed under UK sanctions on March 10, including an asset freeze, a travel ban and a ban on transactions with UK individuals and businesses.