Topic: Mikhail Khodorkovsky

Russians fear Pussy Riot trial is just the start

The women who make up the punk group Pussy Riot are being prosecuted for "religious hatred," which many Russians see as the Kremlin's latest tactic for silencing dissent.

Russian punk rockers challenge close church-Putin ties (+video)

The punk rock group, Pussy Riot, goes on trial in what is seen as a test of how Russian leader Vladimir Putin will handled political dissent. The three women say the Russian Orthodox Church is backing Putin.

Opinion Russian elections: Putin 4.0 at a crossroads

After Russian elections on Sunday, expect what amounts to a fourth term for Putin. But Putin 4.0 faces a tough choice. His KGB officer instincts call for tightening the grip. But Russia's future – and thousands of protesters – demand greater freedom and reforms.

For Vladimir Putin, winning Russia's presidency may be the easy part

The Russian election has been engineered for a Vladimir Putin victory. His true challenge will come afterward, when he has to rule a country increasingly dissatisfied with his rule.

Putin on trial? Fake video goes viral in Russia (+video)

A startlingly realistic – but fake – video that shows Vladimir Putin on trial for terrorism has found an enthusiastic Russian audience, with 3 million-plus hits since Monday. 

In Russia, a new badge of honor for Putin critics: a jail term

The frequent arrests of one veteran anti-Kremlin activist, Sergei Udaltsov, have gained him a broader base of support among Russia's opposition than he could previously claim. 
12/28/2011 01:39 pm

Putin, in four-hour telethon, sticks to his guns on election (video)

Vladimir Putin projected his usual magisterial image in the appearance, ruling out any recount of the recent election and warning that foreign powers are behind the protesters seeking reform.
12/15/2011 09:37 am

Russia hails European ruling that politics didn't drive Khodorkovsky jailing

Imprisoned Russian oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky was dealt a blow this week when the European Court of Human Rights declined to rule that his prosecution for fraud was Kremlin-manipulated.
06/01/2011 01:10 pm

Global Viewpoint The real challenge for Internet freedom? US hypocrisy. And there's no app for that.

Secretary Clinton's speech on Internet freedom was full of good news. The US has a more grown-up view of the complexities of Internet freedom and its importance. The bad news was in what Clinton didn't address: the role US foreign policy and US companies play in Internet oppression.
02/17/2011 12:01 pm

Russian 'higher ups' orchestrated trial of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, says court assistant

During the trial of former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the judge's original decision 'didn't suit higher ups, so he received a different verdict which he had to deliver,' a court assistant told Russian media.
02/15/2011 12:34 pm

Billionaire as Russia's president? The 5 richest men in Russia.

Mikhail Prokhorov, one of Russia's richest men – and the owner of the New Jersey Nets basketball team – has announced that he will challenge Vladimir Putin in the March 2012 presidential elections. His move to throw his hat in the ring has thrown the spotlight once again on Russia's billionaires. A record number of billionaires now call Russia home – 114 of them, according to an annual list of the 500 richest Russians published in February by the Moscow-based Finans magazine. The number of billionaires is up from a mere 77 in 2009. To make this year's list, a Russian tycoon had to be worth at least $160 million. The assets of the top 10 grew last year by a whopping 30 percent to a combined worth of $182 billion. The bonanza has yet to reach Russia's struggling middle class; average incomes rose a paltry 4 percent last year, according to the state statistics agency Rostat. To be a former associate of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin helps, apparently. According to the magazine, Arkady Rotenberg, who did judo training with a teenaged Mr. Putin, jumped 17 places to become Russia's 63rd richest person, worth $1.75 billion. Two neighbors from Putin's summer home community near St. Petersburg also shot through the ranks this year to become the 115th and 184th richest persons. Here are the top five:
02/14/2011 04:18 pm

Terrorism & Security Moscow attack on airport will complicate Medvedev's investment pitch at Davos

As the investigation into the Moscow attack at Domodedovo airport continues, President Dmitry Medvedev left for Davos to seek foreign investment – now a tougher pitch.
01/26/2011 01:33 pm

To ease investment jitters, Medvedev allies float Khordorkovsky release

Signals from the Kremlin suggest that Russian President Medvedev may be weighing clemency for long-jailed former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, another sign of a deepening split with Prime Minister Putin.
01/19/2011 12:06 pm

Global News Blog Russian oil tycoon Khodorkovsky sentenced to six more years

Russian oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky was sentenced to six more years of jail time Thursday, following a trial that has been widely criticized as politically tinged.
12/30/2010 12:01 pm

After Khodorkovsky verdict, Russia's Medvedev bemoans business climate

President Medvedev admits Russia's investment climate is woeful days after oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky was convicted of embezzlement in a politically tinged trial.
12/29/2010 11:26 am

Russian tycoon Khodorkovsky sentenced again, supporters cry foul

Mikail Khodorkovsky, once Russia's wealthiest man, was sentenced anew for corruption in what his supporters claim was a politically motivated trial.
12/27/2010 11:40 am

Photos of the Day Photos of the Day 12/17

Opinion Ratify the New START treaty -- but wait until January to do it

Reaching agreement on the New START treaty should not be difficult. With proper conditions, New START protects US national interests and shouldn't be rushed through a lame-duck Senate session, but taken up in full daylight when the new senators take their seats in January.
11/16/2010 01:00 pm

At Khodorkovsky trial, defiant ex-oil tycoon lashes out at Russia

Mikhail Khodorkovsky, once Russia's richest man, faces at least seven additional years in prison on charges he stole millions of tons of oil while running Yukos oil company.
11/02/2010 03:30 pm

Editorial Board Blog Former Putin prime minister talks about his former boss

Mikhail Kasyanov tells Americans how he traveled the road from prime minister to Vladimir Putin to an outspoken leader of the Russian political opposition. His story of life inside the Kremlin reveals much about the enigmatic Putin.
10/25/2010 06:02 pm

Russian ex-tycoon Khodorkovsky threatens hunger strike

Former Russian oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky threatened a hunger strike until President Dmitry Medvedev acknowledges that the state is violating the law when it comes to the conditions of his detention.
05/18/2010 11:09 am

Opinion What Russia needs most: Civil society engagement, not appeasement

Ignoring the worst abuses and empowering authoritarians means betraying our friends in Russia – and undermining US leadership around the world.
02/10/2010 11:38 am

Global News Blog Death of Russian journalist in police detention sparks outrage

Russian journalist Konstantin Popov died Wednesday after allegedly being beaten in a Siberian drunk tank, something Russians say is a common occurrence.
01/21/2010 11:31 am

Russia: Why Kremlin still pursues banished oil tycoon Khodorkovsky

In Russia, where public support for Kremlin attacks on oil tycoon Khodorkovsky is waning, there are two starkly different narratives. But both sides agree he was singled out for punishment.
12/18/2009 11:25 am

Global News Blog Medvedev's first year: Has justice improved in Russia?

Some Russians say a new Amnesty International assessment understates the dangers faced by those who dare to offer dissent.
05/08/2009 01:00 am