The Russian bureau of Interpol has sent a request to the British police to block the auction of a painting by a famous Russian artist because it was "stolen".

The painting in question, "Evening in Cairo" by Ivan Aivazovsky, "was stolen in 1997 from a private collection in the city of Moscow, says Russia's Interior Ministry. The 1870 painting with an estimated value of £1.5-2 million is due to be sold on June 2. Sotheby's said that it was aware of a claim that the painting was stolen, but its due diligence had found no record of the painting in databases of stolen art.