Russia’s Federal Security Service announced on Tuesday that a criminal case has been initiated against Mikhail Khodorkovsky, a former Kremlin critic living in exile. The charges allege his involvement in establishing a “terrorist organization” and planning a violent seizure of power. Khodorkovsky, a prominent oil magnate who was once the wealthiest individual in Russia, previously served a decade in a Siberian prison on fraud accusations widely deemed politically motivated by Western nations.
The Federal Security Service specified that the accusations pertain to the operations of a group supported by Khodorkovsky, known as the Anti-War Committee, which opposes the conflict in Ukraine and has been outlawed in Russia. There has been no immediate response from Khodorkovsky or his associates.
Initially rising to prominence as one of the affluent businessmen who supported former Russian President Boris Yeltsin during the 1990s, Khodorkovsky amassed considerable influence over the Russian economy. However, his fortunes changed as Yeltsin’s successor, Vladimir Putin, consolidated control over once-autonomous business figures within the Kremlin’s reach.
Having been granted clemency in 2013 and subsequently departing Russia, Khodorkovsky has since aligned himself with various groups critical of Putin. Particularly since 2022, he has emerged as a leading voice among Russian exiles advocating for Kyiv against Moscow in the Ukraine conflict. Following the onset of the war, he was labeled a “foreign agent” by the Russian government.