There are many unknowns ahead for Mikhail Khodorkovsky, but he’s ready for the future
Freed Russian former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky reacts during his news conference in the Museum Haus am Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin, December 22, 2013. Khodorkovsky, pardoned by Russian President Vladimir Putin after 10 years in jail, said on Sunday that he would not go into politics or seek to regain assets of his former oil company, Yukos.
Former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky was all smiles as he posed for pictures with his family.
He looked fit. He seemed as jubilant as one might after being freed from 10 years in Russian prison camps. So what does he do next?
The New York Times Berlin Bureau Chief Alison Smale attended an interview Khodorkovsky gave to Russian-speaking journalists.
She says he definitely knows two things he won't be doing as a free man: politics and fighting to recover his former business. Khodorkovsky made those two things very clear when he wrote a letter to President Vladimir Putin asking for his release.
Where he will live in the future is another question. He says he wants to return to Russia, but only if it's safe for him. Germany is certainly one option. But Smale says that his future is unclear right now.
But if there's one thing he doesn’t have to worry about, it's money.
"He doesn't honestly know what his financial state is," says Smale. "But what he did say it that it certainly is enough to live on. And he said it with a little smile."
The World is an independent newsroom. We’re not funded by billionaires; instead, we rely on readers and listeners like you. As a listener, you’re a crucial part of our team and our global community. Your support is vital to running our nonprofit newsroom, and we can’t do this work without you. Will you support The World with a gift today? Donations made between now and Dec. 31 will be matched 1:1. Thanks for investing in our work!