Khodorkovsky is 50

On June 26, Mikhail Khodorkovsky turns 50 years old. The ex-head of YUKOS will celebrate his anniversary in a Karelian colony; he will have a meeting with relatives. He spent almost 10 years behind bars.

A few days earlier, Khodorkovsky admitted in an interview with The New Times that he would have shot himself if he had known what awaited him after his arrest in Novosibirsk in October 2003. “For me then, my current experience would have been a shock,” he said.

When asked to sum up the main results before the upcoming anniversary, to name the main pros and cons, Khodorkovsky said that he “has a wonderful family: four children, a granddaughter, parents, a wife who has been beloved for a quarter of a century... - a plus.” “There was a lot of things - both what I am proud of and what I am ashamed of. Over time, views change: what is important ceases to be important, and vice versa... The main thing is that life was not empty. There is something to remember,” said the ex-entrepreneur.

When asked how old he felt, Khodorkovsky replied: “I can’t believe that I’m already 50! Maximum is 40! Alas, doctors don’t share my optimism.”

On October 25, 2003, Khodorkovsky’s plane, heading to Irkutsk, landed for refueling at the Novosibirsk airport, where it was blocked by FSB officers. On the same day, Khodorkovsky was taken to Moscow, appeared in court and was placed in the Matrosskaya Tishina pre-trial detention center. Khodorkovsky was accused of violations during the privatization of OJSC Apatit in 1994 and was arrested.

Khodorovsky in 1997. Photo: Reuters

The trials of Khodorkovsky and the ex-head of Menatep Platon Lebedev began in April 2004, then they were combined. In May 2005, the court found Khodorkovsky guilty of fraud, embezzlement, tax evasion and other crimes. He was sentenced to 9 years in prison, later reduced to 8 years. The main oil-producing assets of YUKOS became the property of the state company Rosneft, and YUKOS was subject to bankruptcy proceedings.

Khodorkovsky with his daughter Nastya and Bill Gates. Photo: khodorkovsky.ru

Until December 2006, Khodorkovsky served his sentence in general regime correctional colony No. 10 in Krasnokamensk. There he sewed mittens, was sent to a punishment cell several times, and in April 2006 was attacked - prisoner Alexander Kuchma cut Khodorkovsky's face with a shoe knife. Kuchma later admitted that he was forced to do this by certain “people in civilian clothes.”

Photo: Reuters

In December 2006, Khodorkovsky was charged with new charges in a new criminal case of oil theft. In February 2009, Khodorkovsky and Lebedev were transferred to Moscow, where they were soon charged with theft of shares in oil producing companies, as well as 350 million tons of oil.

Khodorkovsky's wife, daughter and mother, 2010. Photo: Reuters

On December 30, 2010, the court found them guilty and sentenced them to 14 years in prison on a cumulative basis with credit for previously served time. Later the sentence was changed, the punishment was reduced to 13 years. The court left Khodorkovsky's request for parole without consideration.

Exhibition "Execution cannot be pardoned." Moscow, 2010. Photo: Reuters

In July 2011, the ex-head of YUKOS was transferred to correctional colony No. 7 in the city of Segezha in Karelia and enrolled in a detachment engaged in work to ensure the life of the colony.

Khodorkovsky under escort, 2011. Photo: Reuters

According to a Levada Center poll, 33% of Russians are in favor of Khodorkovsky’s early release; 9% are “definitely in favor” of freedom, and another 24% are “rather in favor.”

Supporters of Khodorkovsky, 2005. Photo: Reuters