Last month, the Russian FSB secret service opened criminal proceedings against Khodorkovsky, Gudkov and two dozen other members of the Anti-War Committee of Russia, which was created in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The FSB accused Khodorkovsky and other personalities involved in the committee of creating a terrorist organization or attempting to seize power by force. The FSB is also prosecuting Khodorkovsky separately on charges of justifying terrorism and inciting it, the Mediazona server pointed out at the time.
Khodorkovsky, who now lives in Britain, rejected the FSB’s claims. The Anti-War Committee of Russia was established shortly after the invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops in February 2022 as part of the resistance against Russian aggression against the neighboring country. Two years later, the Russian authorities labeled the committee as an undesirable organization. The FSB is also prosecuting other opponents of the regime in the case, such as former chess player Garry Kasparov, journalist and historian Vladimir Kara-Murza, ex-prime minister Mikhail Kasyanov or politician Leonid Gozman. Most members of the movement live in exile.
Khodorkovsky used to be the richest man in Russia. In 2005, however, he was convicted in an internationally criticized trial for tax evasion, privatization fraud, money laundering and embezzlement. This happened after the head of the then largest Russian oil company Yukos fell out of favor with the Kremlin because of his support for the opposition and his political ambitions. He was released in 2013, when he was pardoned by President Vladimir Putin. He continues to criticize Putin’s regime from exile.
The Russian list of terrorists and extremists includes thousands of people, including journalists, writers and human rights activists. Inclusion on this list means, among other things, the blocking of the bank accounts of these people in Russia. Last week, Rosfinmonitoring added several other opponents of the war, including Kasyanov, to this list, noted The Moscow Times.
