Russia’s Federal Security Service said on Tuesday it had opened a criminal case against exiled Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky, accusing him of creating a “terrorist organization” and of plotting to violently seize power.
Khodorkovsky, an oil tycoon who was once Russia’s richest man, served 10 years in a Siberian prison on fraud charges that he and many Western countries said were politically motivated.
The Federal Security Service said the charges relate to the activities of a Khodorkovsky-backed group that opposes the war in Ukraine. The group, called the Anti-War Committee, has been banned in Russia.
There was no immediate comment from Khodorkovsky or his representatives.
Backed Yeltsin in 90s
Khodorkovsky rose to prominence as one of a handful of wealthy businessmen who backed Russia’s former president Boris Yeltsin in the 1990s, gaining huge power over the Russian economy as a result.
He fell from grace as Yeltsin’s successor Vladimir Putin tightened the Kremlin’s grip on previously independent-minded business figures.
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Mikhail Khodorkovsky was once the richest man in Russia until he challenged Vladimir Putin and was sent to jail for 10 years. Now, he has advice for Western leaders trying to deal with his former adversary, telling CBC’s Terence McKenna that a show of strength is key.
He was pardoned in 2013 and left Russia. He has since backed a series of groups opposed to Putin, the Russian president.
Khodorkovsky has, since 2022, positioned himself as a leading figure among Russian exiles who back Kyiv against Moscow in the Ukraine war. Shortly after the war’s outbreak, he was designated a “foreign agent” by Russia.
