Russia charges exiled critic Khodorkovsky with terrorism, accuses him of plotting violent power grab

Khodorkovsky faces terrorism-related charges

Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Tuesday it had opened a criminal case against exiled Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky, accusing him of creating a "terrorist organisation" and of plotting to violently seize power.

Khodorkovsky, an oil tycoon who was once Russia's richest man, served 10 years in a Siberian prison on fraud charges that he and many Western countries said were politically motivated.

The FSB said the charges relate to the activities of a Khodorkovsky-backed group that opposes the war in Ukraine. The group, called the Anti-War Committee, has been banned in Russia.

There was no immediate comment from Khodorkovsky or his representatives.

Khodorkovsky rose to prominence as one of a handful of wealthy businessmen who backed Russia's former president Boris Yeltsin in the 1990s, gaining huge power over the Russian economy as a result.

He fell from grace as Yeltsin's successor Vladimir Putin tightened the Kremlin's grip on previously independent-minded business figures.

He was pardoned in 2013 and left Russia. He has since backed a series of groups opposed to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Khodorkovsky has since 2022 positioned himself as a leading figure among Russian exiles who back Kyiv against Moscow in the Ukraine war. Shortly after the war's outbreak, he was designated a "foreign agent" by Russia.