Mikhail Khodorkovsky

Not to be confused with Michael Khodarkovsky.
In this name that follows Eastern Slavic naming customs, the patronymic is Borisovich and the family name is Khodorkovsky.
Mikhail Khodorkovsky
Михаил Ходорковский
Khodorkovsky in 2023
Born (1963-06-26) 26 June 1963 (age 61)
Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
NationalityRussian
Alma materMendeleev Russian University of Chemistry and Technology
Occupations
Spouses
  • Yelena Dobrovolskaya (div.)
  • Inna Khodorkovskaya
ChildrenPavel, Anastasia, Ilya, Gleb
Mikhail Khodorkovsky's voice
Recorded 22 May 2014
Websitekhodorkovsky.ru
Khodorkovsky with the president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, on 20 December 2002

Mikhail Borisovich Khodorkovsky (Russian: Михаил Борисович Ходорковский, IPA: [mʲɪxɐˈil xədɐrˈkofskʲɪj]; born 26 June 1963), sometimes known by his initials MBK, is an exiled Russian businessman, oligarch, and opposition activist, now residing in London.[1] In 2003, Khodorkovsky was believed to be the wealthiest man in Russia, with a fortune estimated to be worth $15 billion, and was ranked 16th on Forbes list of billionaires.[2] He had worked his way up the Komsomol apparatus, during the Soviet years, and started several businesses during the period of glasnost and perestroika in the late 1980s. In 1989, he became Chairman of the Board of Bank Menatep, which he founded. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, in the mid-1990s, he accumulated considerable wealth by obtaining control of a number of Siberian oil fields unified under the name Yukos, one of the major companies to emerge from the privatization of state assets during the 1990s (a scheme known as "Loans for Shares").

In 2001, Khodorkovsky founded Open Russia, a reform-minded organization intending to "build and strengthen civil society" in the country. In October 2003, he was arrested by Russian authorities and charged with fraud.[3] The government of President Vladimir Putin then froze shares of Yukos shortly thereafter on tax charges. Putin's government took further actions against Yukos, leading to a collapse of the company's share price and the evaporation of much of Khodorkovsky's wealth. In May 2005, he was found guilty and sentenced to nine years in prison. In December 2010, while he was still serving his sentence, Khodorkovsky and his business partner Platon Lebedev were further charged with and found guilty of embezzlement and money laundering. Khodorkovsky's prison sentence was extended to 2014. After Hans-Dietrich Genscher lobbied for his release, Putin pardoned Khodorkovsky, releasing him from jail on 20 December 2013.[4]

There was widespread concern internationally that the trials and sentencing were politically motivated.[5][6] The trial was criticized abroad for the lack of due process. Khodorkovsky lodged several applications with the European Court of Human Rights, seeking redress for alleged violations by Russia of his human rights. In response to his first application, which concerned events from 2003 to 2005, the court found that several violations were committed by the Russian authorities in their treatment of Khodorkovsky.[7] Despite these findings, the court ultimately ruled that the trial was not politically motivated,[8][9][10] but rather "that the charges against him were grounded in 'reasonable suspicion'".[9] He was considered to be a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International.[6]

On being pardoned by Putin and released from prison at the end of 2013, Khodorkovsky immediately left Russia and was granted residency in Switzerland.[4][11] At the end of 2013, his personal estate was believed to be worth, as a rough estimate, $100–250 million.[12] At the end of 2014, he was said to be worth about $500 million.[13] In 2015, he moved to London.[14] In December 2016, the Dublin District Court unfroze $100m of Khodorkovsky's assets that had been held in the Republic of Ireland.[15]

In 2014, Khodorkovsky re-launched Open Russia to promote several reforms to Russian civil society, including free and fair elections, political education, protection of journalists and activists, endorsing the rule of law, and ensuring media independence.[16][17] He was described by The Economist as "the Kremlin's leading critic-in-exile".[18]

  1. ^ Gentleman, Amelia (20 March 2018). "Russian oligarch in London fatalistic about his safety from attack". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  2. ^ Maternovsky, Denis (1 March 2004). "List of Billionaires Swells From 17 to 25". The Moscow Times. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  3. ^ Seth Mydans; Erin E. Arvedlund (26 October 2003). "Police in Russia Seize Oil Tycoon". New York Times. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
  4. ^ a b "Erklärung von Chodorkowski: Dank an Hans-Dietrich Genscher" [Statement by Khodorkovsky: Thanks to Hans-Dietrich Genscher]. Der Spiegel (in German). 20 December 2013. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  5. ^ Parfitt, Tom (27 December 2010). "WikiLeaks: rule of law in Mikhail Khodorkovsky trial merely 'gloss'". The Guardian. UK. Retrieved 28 December 2010.
  6. ^ a b "Russian businessmen declared prisoners of conscience after convictions are upheld". Amnesty International. Archived from the original on 13 October 2011. Retrieved 29 September 2011.
  7. ^ "European Court Rules That Khodorkovsky's Rights Were Violated". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 31 May 2011.
  8. ^ O'Flynn, Kevin (31 May 2011). "Mikhail Khodorkovsky 'not a political prisoner', Human Rights court rules". The Daily Telegraph. UK. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
  9. ^ a b "Mikhail Khodorkovsky case: European Court faults Russia". UK: BBC News. 31 May 2011. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
  10. ^ "Russia's trial of oil magnate Khodorkovsky not political, court rules". The Guardian. UK. 31 May 2011. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
  11. ^ "Mikhail Khodorkovsky granted residency in Switzerland". The Guardian. UK. 30 March 2014. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
  12. ^ Сколько денег у Ходорковского: попытка оценки Читайте подробнее на by Леонид Бершидский,23 December 2013, Forbes Russia
  13. ^ Ioffe, Julia (5 January 2015). "Remote Control". The New Yorker.
  14. ^ Pascal Büsser: Rapperswil-Jona verliert seinen bekanntesten Einwohner. In: Die Südostschweiz vom 11. Dezember 2014.
  15. ^ Mikhail Khodorkovsky recovers $100m frozen in Ireland 7 December 2016 by: Vincent Boland and Neil Buckley, Financial Times.
  16. ^ "Open Russia". Khodorkovsky.
  17. ^ Kara-Murza, Vladimir (26 September 2014). "50,000 March in Moscow Against Putin's War". World Affairs Journal. Archived from the original on 26 September 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  18. ^ "The Yukos affair: Baiting the bear: Russia is trying to impede enforcement of a massive damages award". The Economist. 15 April 2016. Retrieved 15 April 2016.