Biography
Mikhail Khodorkovsky is an entrepreneur and ex-owner of the largest Russian oil company Yukos. According to the state of 2003, he was considered one of the richest and powerful in the financial plan of citizens of the Russian Federation, his capital was evaluated at $ 15 billion. In 2005, he became a key figure of a high-profile criminal case on YUKOS and was accused of fraud and tax evasion.Childhood and youth
Khodorkovsky Mikhail Borisovich was born on June 20, 1963 in the metropolitan work family. His parents Marina Filippovna and Boris Moiseevich were chemist engineers at the Kalibr factory producing accurate measuring equipment. According to Mikhail, his relatives on his father were Jews, but he himself felt Russian by nationality.
The family of the future petroleum magnate lived poorly in a communal apartment until 1971, after which the parents received their own housing. In childhood, Khodorkovsky was fond of experiments and chemistry, showing curiosity in this direction.
Wishing to develop a talent of a natural resource chemical talent, parents decided to give Mikhail to a specialized school with an in-depth study of Chemistry and Mathematics No. 227, at the end of which the young man entered the Moscow Chemical Technology Institute. D. I. Mendeleev. In the university, Khodorkovsky was considered the best student of the faculty, despite the fact that the acute financial necessity made him in their free time to work as a carpenter in a housing cooperative. In 1986 he graduated from the university with honors and received a technology engineer-technologist.
In his youth, Mikhail, together with like-minded people, created the Center for the Scientific and Technical Creativity of Youth, who became his initial business project, with the help of what he earned the first big money. In parallel with the activities in NTTM, the future oil tycoon studied at the Institute of National Economy. G. V. Plekhanov, where he met a relative of officials in the state bank of the USSR Alexei Golubovich.
Bank "Menatep"
Thanks to his first "Break", Mikhail Khodorkovsky took a strong cell in the world of big business and in 1989 created a commercial bank of the scientific and technological progress "Menatep", becoming the chairman of his rule. The Khodorkovsky Bank was one of the first to receive the USSR state bank license, which allowed him to carry out financial operations of the tax, the Ministry of Finance and Rosvooruchi.In 1992, the professional biography of Khodorkovsky acquired another direction and began to tear up the oil business. At first he received an appointment for the post of Chairman of the Investment Fund of the Industry and the EEC. The new position was given to Mikhail all the rights and powers of a deputy fuel and energy. After a few months, he became a full-fledged deputy minister. To work in the public service, it was necessary to formally release the position of chapter in the bank "Menatep", but all the brazers of the board remained in his hands.
During this period, the oligarch decided to change the strategy of Menatep Bank. Financial organization as a result began to focus exclusively on large customers who, with its help, carried out financial transactions and received services requiring issues of issues in government bodies. Over time, Menatep has become greater extent to go to the investment industry. The priority directions were the industry and metallurgy, petrochemistry and building materials, as well as the food and chemical industry.
Yukos
In 1995, Khodorkovsky appealed to the first vice-premiere of the Russian Federation Olla Soskovtsu with a proposal to exchange 10% of Menatep shares at 45% of the shares in the crisis state of the State Oil Refinery of YUKOS, the first in oil reserves.
After the auction, Menatep became the owner of a 45% stake in Yukos, and then Bank Khodorkovsky got another 33% of the shares of the oil company, for which, together with 5 partners paid $ 300 million. Later on the Menatep monetary auction again became the owner of the impressive number of securities itself Petached piece of oil business of Russia and control over 90% of Yukos shares.
Becoming the owner of Yukos, Khodorkovsky engaged in the conclusion of a bankrupt oil company from the crisis, but Menatep's assets lacked for this. The oligarch took 6 years and investments of third-party banks in order to bring YUKOS from the acute crisis, as a result of which the refinery became the leader of the global energy market with a capital of more than $ 40 million.
Difficulties in doing business did not prevent Mikhail Borisovich in 2001 by the co-founder of the OpenRussia Foundation charitable organization, which also included Mikhail Piotrovsky, Jacob Rothschild, Henry Kissinger and former US Ambassador to the USSR Arthur Hartman. Later on its basis, the All-Russian Network Social and Political Movement "Open Russia" was created, which was persecuted on the territory of the Russian Federation. After the liberation of Khodorkovsky, the party continued its work under his leadership.
Yukos business
In October 2003, at that time, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who had become one of the richest people in Russia and the world, took under arrest at Novosibirsk airport and charged the embezzlement of state institutions and tax evasion. After that, a search was conducted by Yukos office, and all the stocks and accounts of the company were arrested by the Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation.According to the investigators, subsequently recognized by the court, the oil magnate in 1994 created a criminal grouping, whose activities were aimed at illegally obtaining shares of various companies at a low price in order to resale them at market prices. As a result, the oil company of Russia YUKOS began to fall apart, since the export of oil was discontinued, and all the money from the assets of the enterprise went to repay the debt to the state.
According to the results of the first criminal case in May 2005, Khodorkovsky was sentenced to 8 years in prison with serving the term in the colony of the general regime. And the case of YUKOS in relation to other managers of the company was further investigated.
In 2006, in relation to Khodorkovsky and his business partner, the head of the Board of Directors of Menatep Plato Lebedev initiated the second criminal case about theft of oil, the indictment of which consisted of 14 volumes. Khodorkovsky called an absurd crime incriminated to him. The entrepreneur asked: if he stole all Yukos oil, and this is 350 million tons, then why was the salary of employees, the taxes were paid to the state in the amount of $ 40 million and drilling wells, developing new deposits?
In December 2010, the court acknowledged Khodorkovsky and Lebedev guilty, sentenced to 14 years in prison for aggregate sentences, later the term of concluding was reduced.
Stepped convicts were in a correctional colony in the Karelian city of Segezha, and a loud discussion of the criminal proceedings over Khodorkovsky turned into Russia. The case was publicly condemned by the public figure Boris Akunin, the politician-oppositionist Boris Nemtsov, the former Mayor of Moscow Yuri Luzhkov, a member of the Commission on Human Rights under the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation Lyudmila Alekseeva and others who believe that the law was violated "malicious and brazen way". Condisted the sentence of Khodorkovsky and the West - the United States criticized Russian laws, the independence of ships, tax policy in Russia and the inviolability of property.
In protest and non-recognition of the charge, Khodorkovsky during serving the punishment 4 times declared a hunger strike. In addition, his stay in the colony was marked by various "adventures". After the first sentence in the Chita colony, he fell into a penalty of an insulator, since when he was inspired by the orders of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation on the rights of prisoners, which, according to the administration, is prohibited by law. In the same place, in Chita, the prisoner Khodorkovsky also became a "sacrifice" of the alkamer Alexander Kuchma, who cut off the face of Oligarch a shoe knife. According to Kuchma, unknown people pushed him to the crime, which in the literal sense of the word "knocked out" from it against Mikhail. The prisoner told that he was also required to give an indication before the camera that he was cut by Khodorkovsky's face against the background of the sexual harassment of the latter.
In December 2013, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on the pardon and liberation of Khodorkovsky. The ex-head of Yukos was hastily released from a colony, even forgetting to issue a certificate of liberation, and sent Pulkovo to St. Petersburg Airport, from where Mikhail was held by the ex-head of Germany a private plane flew to Berlin.
Upon arrival in the capital of Germany, Khodorkovsky spoke at a press conference and stated that after liberation did not intend to participate more in politics, sponsor Russian opposition and to do business. The key plan was the public activity aimed at the liberation of political prisoners in Russia.
Renewal of political activities
Over the years, the opinion of the former oil tycoon has changed in the radically - in front of the presidential elections, he activated his activities that experts appreciated as a desire to break through to the top of power. Khodorkovsky himself declares that it is ready to become the President of the Russian Federation to conduct a constitutional reform in Russia and redistribute the presidential power in favor of society, Parliament and Court.
Also in Ukrainian Maidan in 2014, after the state coup, Mikhail Khodorkovsky stated that he was ready to become a peacemaker in the Ukrainian situation. Then, speaking on stage in front of the Ukrainian people, he openly criticized the Russian authorities, and the nationalists of Ukraine called bold people, honestly defended their freedom.
Back in prison, Mikhail Borisovich began literary activities. His works were analytical. In the mid-2000s, the books "Crisis of Liberalism" appeared, "Left Turn", "Introduction to the Future. Peace in 2020. "
Later were published "articles. Dialogues. Interview: Author's Collection "and" Prison and Will ". But the book of the entrepreneur "prison people", which the author dedicated to his models was the most popular. Khodorkovsky called the human life the only currency existing in prison. In the boxes, it is taken in every situation to go to the end, despite the cowardice, even if you have to part with life.
What Mikhail himself was missing, so it is communication with friends, relatives, children and opportunities to look at the horizon. First of all, after entering freedom, the businessman went to the sea, jumped with a parachute and scrupted on the rock. According to Mikhail Borisovich, the feeling of adrenaline in the blood returned him to life.
Repeatedly in his interview with Khodorkovsky concerned the topic of relations to the President of Russia. In a conversation with journalists, he spoke about Vladimir Putin as a policy that did not have a departure strategy from the post of head of state. According to the businessman, the long term of the president's reign suggests that there is a stereotype of relations to Russians as a people who cannot live without a strong hand in society. Such a form of relation to the people of Khodorkovsky called the "form of racism".
In 2018, the Open Russia organization launched the United Democrats in St. Petersburg, the purpose of which is to provide legal and campaigning assistance to self-enhancing candidates in elections to regional authorities, scheduled for 2019. As you know, now funding the Fund is carried out directly by Mikhail Khodorkovsky.
In the same year, an entrepreneur was established an organization to investigate corruption scandals "Dossier". In November, the site of the Center was launched, where journalistic materials appeared in a short time, exposing the activities of officials. According to Mikhail Borisovich, all the evidence obtained will be transferred to the criminal law.
Personal life
The personal life of Mikhail Khodorkovsky is not so complex as his career and its consequences. Oil tycoon was married twice. With the first wife, Khodorkovsky met while studying at the university, she was his classmate. The first wife of Khodorkovsky Elena Dobrovolskaya in 1985 gave birth to the oil magnate of the Son Pavel, who lives in the US and already presented his father's granddaughter Diana.According to Mikhail Borisovich, his first marriage was unfortunately, as a result, they decided to divorce his wife, but until today they retain friendly relations.
The second time Khodorkovsky married in 1991. His second wife became an employee of the bank "Menatep" Inna, with which he gained love, mutual understanding and well-being. After the wedding, Inna and Mikhail was born daughter Anastasia, and in 1999 the ex-head of Yukos became the father of the twins - he had born sons Ilya and Gleb. Children live and learn in Switzerland.
After liberation from prison, Mikhail Khodorkovsky also moved to the Swiss community in the canton of St. Gallen. For 11.5 thousand francs per month, he rents a cozy villa overlooking the Zurich Sea and has already received a residence permit in Switzerland. But for the receipt of Swiss citizenship, he needs to live in the country for at least 12 years.
The entrepreneur immediately scored in weight after entering the freedom, which is visible according to his photo in the media, but with an average growth (177 cm) retains a tightened figure.
Mikhail Khodorkovsky now
Now Mikhail Khodorkovsky is financing several human rights and media projects in Russia. Among them, "MBH Media" and "Open Media". He was also attributed to the shadow sponsorship of the show "Awet", which leads Yuri Dory. However, the businessman denied these rumors. He is also the general director of the Sinara group.
In February 2020, the entrepreneur issued a new literary work - Manifesto called "New Russia, or Gardarbi". In the book, the author raised many questions that relate to his native country: why it is impossible to stay away from politics; Why Russia, having petroleum wealth, still in ruins, as well as others.
In Switzerland, Khodorkovsky made a presentation on the topic "Does Russia have a future." The event was held at the Institute of Europe of Zurich University. For example of 800 people came to listen to the entrepreneur.
In April, the public figure gave an interview at the Radio Station "Echo Moscow" in the framework of the program "Not yet evening." Many themes discussed on the air, including the coronavirus crisis, low oil prices, a posturcline forces in Russian politics.
In December, Mikhail Khodorkovsky gave a great interview with journalist Dmitry Gordon, which came out on the channel "Visiting Gordon" on Youtube. During the conversation, the businessman shed light to many political events, and also spoke about his activities and career.
During the interview, Mikhail Borisovich told about how he recruited the KGB of the USSR, as he was in prison and what relationship had to have prisoners.
Khodorkovsky expressed his attitude to the President of the Russian Federation. In addition, Khodorkovsky said that the rule of the head of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky disappointed him.
Touched a businessman and its financial condition. He shared the fact that after the ruin he had money, so now he is a secured person. Khodorkovsky did not specify whether a billionaire is. But noted that he earns 10 times more than he needed.
To the question of Gordon about what the entrepreneur spends money, Mikhail Borisovich replied that he did not like to shop and prefers online shopping. He spends money on modern equipment:
"I am a wild lover of gadgets. All new gadgets and laptops that come out, I buy and test. Then I give to the guys. I really do not regret the money. "On the Personal Yutiub-Channel, as well as in the social networks "Twitter", "Instagram" and "Facebook", a businessman regularly discusses the relationship between Russian society with the authorities. Including in his blog on Youtube, he repeatedly concerned the topic related to the poisoning of Alexei Navalny, mass protests in Belarus.
Bibliography
- 2004 - "Crisis of Liberalism"
- 2005 - "Left turn"
- 2006 - "Introduction to the Future. World in 2020 "
- 2007 - "Presentation"
- 2010 - "Articles. Dialogues. Interview: Author's Collection "
- 2012 - "Prison and Volia"
- 2014 - "Prison People"