Russia’s Federal Security Service announced on Tuesday that they have initiated a criminal case against Mikhail Khodorkovsky, a prominent critic of the Kremlin living in exile, on allegations of forming a “terrorist organization” and planning a violent seizure of power. Khodorkovsky, a former oil magnate and once the wealthiest individual in Russia, had previously served a decade in a Siberian prison for fraud charges widely believed to be politically motivated by Western nations.
The Federal Security Service specified that the charges stem from the activities of a group supported by Khodorkovsky, known as the Anti-War Committee, which opposes Russian involvement in the conflict in Ukraine. This group has been outlawed in Russia. At the time of the announcement, there was no immediate response from Khodorkovsky or his associates.
Khodorkovsky gained prominence as one of the few affluent businessmen who supported former Russian President Boris Yeltsin during the 1990s, subsequently amassing significant influence over the Russian economy. However, his fortunes changed as Yeltsin’s successor, Vladimir Putin, consolidated control over previously independent business figures within the Kremlin.
Following his pardon in 2013, Khodorkovsky left Russia and has since aligned himself with various groups critical of Putin’s administration. Since 2022, he has emerged as a prominent voice among Russian expatriates advocating for Kyiv in the conflict against Moscow in Ukraine. Shortly after the commencement of the war, he was labeled a “foreign agent” by the Russian authorities.