Moscow
Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Russia’s richest businessman and owner of the oil company Yukos, was arrested this week on dubious charges of fraud. He is just the latest in a series of Jewish business leaders who have been arrested or exiled since President Vladimir Putin took office. But because Khodorkovsky is the country’s richest man, and Yukos one of its most successful firms, his arrest shocked the political elite and sent the markets tumbling. Most observers saw it as political persecution—retaliation for Khodorkovsky’s support of an anti-Kremlin political party. Russian newspapers were apoplectic. Nezavisimaya gazeta said the arrest was “a blatant declaration of war on civil society,” while Novaya gazeta called it “a coup d’état” by the secret police.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
'From his election as pope in 2013, Francis sought to reform'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Israel blames 'failures' for killing of medicsspeed read 14 Gaza medics and 1 U.N. employee were killed by IDF special forces
-
Hegseth reportedly shared war plans in 2nd group textSpeed Read The defense secretary sent information about an attack in Yemen to a Signal group chat that included his wife and brother
