Moscow
Russian prosecutors upped the stakes this week in their pursuit of executives of the embattled oil company Yukos, charging a top shareholder with murder. Prosecutors said they had “direct evidence” that billionaire Leonid Nevzlin had ordered the killing of a former associate in 2002. Nevzlin fled to Israel last year, when the government campaign against Yukos began. Until this week, accusations against Yukos officials had centered on former CEO Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who is on trial for tax evasion and fraud. Russian political analysts say the investigation of Yukos is politically motivated, as it began only after Khodorkovsky began contributing to parties that oppose President Vladimir Putin.
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