Russia frees Putin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky

According to Hodorkovsky's lawyer, he is no longer in the colony. The released oligarch may be transported to St.Petersburg by a helicopter. Russia's Ministry for Emergency Situations refuted the information that Mihail Hodorkovsky had been transported by the rescuers' helicopter.

Mihail Hodorkovsky is one of the most famous Russian oligarchs, he headed a big oil company "Yukos". At the moment of his arrest in 2003 it was considered that Hodorkovsky owned 15 billion dollars.  Now he is 50 years old. He was sentenced for fraud and other crimes and his company bankrupted. The Russian and some of the foreign human rights defenders considered Mihail Hodorkovsky a prisoner of conscience.

Many experts doubted that he would be released while Vladimir Putin was in power. They are considered to be personal enemies. However, Putin stated yesterday that Hodorkovsky filed a pardon appeal and would be pardoned. The oligarch was to be released in August 2014.
 

Photo - ria.ru