A Russian tycoon who financed a newspaper critical of the Kremlin was found guilty Tuesday of assault for punching a talk show guest and sentenced to 150 hours of community service.

Alexander Lebedev, who owns the Novaya Gazeta newspaper, punched property developer Sergei Polonsky during a TV talk show in 2011. Lebedev dismissed the criminal case as politically motivated, and his lawyer told Russian news agencies that his team will appeal the verdict by a Moscow district court.