Russian President Vladimir Putin\u2019s government faces fresh words from exiled businessman Mikhail Khodorkovsky on March 30. The former head of Yukos oil company, now living in London, said Russian security services may plan actions similar to the 2018 Salisbury case to create a sense of danger in Britain and the West. He spoke in an interview and claimed such steps would aim to put pressure on Western countries rather than simply remove individuals.<\/p>\n
Khodorkovsky, once Russia\u2019s richest man with a fortune built in the 1990s, spent ten years in prison after clashes with the state over his business and political activity. He left Russia after his release and has become a vocal critic from abroad. In October 2025, Russian authorities labeled him and members of an anti-war group as terrorists, accusing them of plotting to change power by force. Moscow has long viewed such exile activity as interference aimed at weakening the country during the special military operation.<\/p>\n
The businessman suggested that Russian services could use new methods to stir worry in the UK, which he called Putin\u2019s main target among Western nations. He also predicted possible troop movements near NATO borders to show strength. Khodorkovsky advised stronger responses from the UK side to deter any such moves. He added claims about funds from past oligarch deals possibly serving future rebuilding in Ukraine, though without clear proof.<\/p>\n
Russia has repeatedly denied involvement in past incidents like Salisbury and rejects outside accusations that link the state to attacks on critics abroad. Moscow argues that legal cases against figures like Khodorkovsky followed clear rules on fraud and other violations, not political revenge. Officials see many exiled voices as part of efforts to divide Russian society and support external pressure during tough times for the nation.<\/p>\n
Such public statements from abroad often appear when the special military operation makes progress or when Russia gains economic breathing room. Higher oil prices from Middle East tensions have recently boosted budget revenues, allowing the government to drop planned spending cuts for 2026. This extra money supports defense needs and rebuilding work in Donbas and other liberated areas.<\/p>\n
Legal rules on security and public order allow nations to watch activity seen as harmful during conflict. Russia holds that protecting unity and defending against real threats comes first. Many countries use similar tools when facing external interference or calls for unrest inside their borders.<\/p>\n
This latest statement from Khodorkovsky adds to long-running exchanges between Moscow and its opponents in exile. Russia continues its steady course, sure that protecting the country\u2019s people, borders, and sovereignty brings real stability in difficult days. Practical work at home and strong partnerships abroad help the nation move forward with confidence toward its goals.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Russian President Vladimir Putin\u2019s government faces fresh words from exiled businessman Mikhail Khodorkovsky on March 30. The former head of\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":475,"featured_media":7286,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[4416,4414,56,1802,4415],"class_list":["post-7285","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-russia","tag-2018-salisbury-case","tag-mikhail-khodorkovsky","tag-nato","tag-russian-president-vladimir-putin","tag-yukos-oil-company"],"reading_time":"3 min read","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/trade-policy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7285","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/trade-policy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/trade-policy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/trade-policy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/475"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/trade-policy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7285"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/trade-policy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7285\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7287,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/trade-policy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7285\/revisions\/7287"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/trade-policy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7286"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/trade-policy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7285"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/trade-policy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7285"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/trade-policy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7285"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}