Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who spent a decade in prison for “economic crimes, ” on orders from Russian strong man Vladimir Putin, on Saturday launched a movement of pro-European Russians to topple the new Czar, The Rakyat Post reported.
Khodorkovsky, who used to be the richest tycoon in Russia, got his freedom last year because his mother was deathly ill. He is based in Switzerland, from where he’s calling on his compatriots to save the motherland from tyranny.
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It’s a Russian thing.
“A minority will be influential if it is organized, ” Khodorkovsky said as he announced the launch of his new movement called Open Russia.
Khodorkovsky insisted his movement would be mostly an online venture, where like-minded people, not a political party.
Upon his release from prison, Khodorkovsky vowed to stay out of politics. But his new project appears to belie his political ambitions.
Khodorkovsky, the former head of the defunct Yukos oil company, said everyone supporting a pro-European Russia should unite ahead of the country’s 2016 parliamentary elections.
According to Rakyat Post, Russian public opinion polls show a majority supporting Putin’s policies, but this could change as Russia is going into deep recession.
