Mikhail Khodorkovsky

Mikhail was a man in Russia.

He started many big businesses. He even ran a bank. He also ran a large oil company.

He became very, very rich. Some thought he was the richest man in his land. But the leaders in Russia were not happy with him.

He was sent to jail for many years. People in other lands thought this was unfair.

Later, the leader let him go. Now, Mikhail lives in a new place far away. It is interesting to learn about his life.

Mikhail Khodorkovsky is a man from Russia.

He was born in 1963. He studied to be a chemical engineer. In the late 1980s, he started his own businesses. He founded Bank Menatep in 1989. He also took control of a large oil company called Yukos. By 2003, he was one of the richest men in Russia.

In 2001, he started a group called Open Russia. This group wanted to help his country. But in 2003, the Russian government arrested him. They charged him with fraud. The government also took control of his oil company. This caused him to lose most of his wealth.

Khodorkovsky was sent to prison for many years. Many people in other countries thought the trials were unfair. They thought the government was acting for political reasons. In 2013, the leader of Russia, Vladimir Putin, pardoned him. This meant he was set free.

Khodorkovsky left Russia right after he was released. He lived in Switzerland and then moved to London in 2015. He still works to help change how his home country works.

Mikhail Khodorkovsky is a famous businessman from Russia.

He was born in 1963 to parents who worked as engineers. He studied chemical engineering at a university in Moscow. In the late 1980s, he began his career in business. He used his connections to start a private café. This was possible because of new rules in the Soviet Union. He later founded Bank Menatep in 1989.

His business success grew very quickly during the 1990s. He helped manage money for the Russian government. He also bought many different companies. One of his biggest moves was taking control of Yukos. Yukos was a major oil company with many fields in Siberia. He bought it for about $309 million in 1996. By the year 2003, he was very wealthy. Some people thought he was the richest man in Russia. His fortune was worth about $15 billion at that time.

In 2001, he started an organization called Open Russia. He wanted to help build a stronger civil society. This means he wanted to help people participate in their country. However, things changed for him in October 2003. Russian authorities arrested him and charged him with fraud. The government of President Vladimir Putin also froze the shares of Yukos. This caused the value of the company to drop. Most of his great wealth disappeared because of these actions.

Khodorkovsky spent many years in prison. In 2005, he was sentenced to nine years for fraud. Later, in 2010, he was found guilty of more charges. These included money laundering and embezzlement. His time in jail was extended until 2014. Many people around the world were worried about his trials. They felt the trials were not fair or political. Amnesty International even called him a prisoner of conscience.

In December 2013, President Putin pardoned Khodorkovsky. This allowed him to leave prison on December 20, 2013.

He left Russia immediately and moved to Switzerland. Later, he moved to London in 2015. He restarted Open Russia to help with political reforms. He wants to protect journalists and ensure fair elections. He is now known as a leading critic of the Russian government.

Mikhail Khodorkovsky is a prominent Russian businessman and political figure.

He is known as an oligarch, which is a person with vast wealth and political influence. He also serves as an opposition activist living in exile. In 2003, Khodorkovsky was likely the wealthiest person in Russia. His fortune was estimated at $15 billion at that time. He was ranked 16th on the Forbes list of billionaires. Today, he lives in London and remains a critic of the Russian government.

Khodorkovsky's journey began in the Soviet Union. He was born in 1963 to parents who worked as engineers in Moscow. He graduated from the D. Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology of Russia in 1986. During his college years, he was an active member of the Komsomol. The Komsomol was the Communist Youth League. After graduation, he used his position in the Komsomol to enter the business world. He took advantage of the era of glasnost and perestroika. These were political changes in the late 1980s that allowed for more openness and market activities.

His early business career involved several different ventures. In 1986, he opened a private café. He also worked in importing personal computers. Some sources suggest he was involved in trading alcohol. In 1987, he helped open the Center for Scientific and Technical Creativity of the Youth. This center eventually led to the founding of Bank Menatep in 1989. Menatep was one of Russia's first private banks. Khodorkovsky used the bank to finance his various import-export operations. He also served as an economic adviser to President Boris Yeltsin.

During the 1990s, Khodorkovsky significantly expanded his wealth through privatization. This was a process where state-owned assets were sold to private individuals. He participated in a scheme known as "Loans for Shares." In this system, wealthy businessmen lent money to the government. In exchange, they received blocks of stock in major companies as collateral. Many believed the government would eventually fail to pay the loans back. This allowed the businessmen to take control of the companies. Through these methods, Khodorkovsky gained control of many Siberian oil fields. He unified them under the name Yukos. In 1996, his company acquired Yukos for approximately $309 million.

In 2001, Khodorkovsky founded Open Russia. This organization aimed to strengthen civil society within the country. However, his business success led to a major conflict with the state. In October 2003, Russian authorities arrested him on fraud charges. Shortly after, the government of President Vladimir Putin froze the shares of Yukos. This caused the company's share price to collapse. As a result, much of Khodorkovsky's massive fortune evaporated. In May 2005, he was sentenced to nine years in prison.

Khodorkovsky's legal troubles continued while he was in prison. In December 2010, he and his partner Platon Lebedev were convicted of embezzlement and money laundering. These new charges extended his prison sentence until 2014. International observers expressed great concern regarding these trials. Many argued the legal proceedings lacked due process and were politically motivated. Amnesty International named him a prisoner of conscience. Khodorkovsky even took his case to the European Court of Human Rights. The court found that Russian authorities had violated his rights in certain instances. However, the court ruled the charges were based on "reasonable suspicion" rather than politics.

His imprisonment ended through a presidential pardon. After lobbying by former German minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher, President Putin pardoned him. Khodorkovsky was released from jail on December 20, 2013.

He immediately left Russia and moved to Switzerland. His wealth had decreased significantly from his peak. By the end of 2013, his estate was valued between $100 million and $250 million. By the end of 2014, it was estimated at $500 million. He moved to London in 2015.

Since his release, Khodorkovsky has remained active in politics. He re-launched Open Russia to promote various reforms. These include ensuring media independence and protecting journalists. He also advocates for free and fair elections and the rule of law. The magazine *The Economist* described him as the leading critic-in-exile of the Kremlin. He continues to use his platform to influence Russian civil society from abroad.