The Kremlin has accused exiled Russian oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky of plotting to violently overthrow Vladimir Putin's regime and create a “terrorist organisation“. This comes after hundreds of Russians called for Vladimir Putin's ouster in a rare show of public discontent in St Petersburg, writes the Daily Mail, quoted by Focus.
Russian authorities have launched a new investigation into Mikhail Khodorkovsky, once the country's richest man and one of Putin's fiercest critics.
The former Yukos oil tycoon has been charged by the Russian internal security service (FSB), along with 22 other exiled businessmen, politicians and activists, with plotting a coup.
The anti-Kremlin dissidents are also accused of supporting Ukrainian agents to overthrow the government in Russia.
While the group has faced similar persecution by the Kremlin in the past, the new investigation heralds a new wave of repression against dissidents abroad, reflecting growing fears in Moscow of the power of the opposition to overthrow the regime.
On October 13, crowds of Russians called for Putin's overthrow during a demonstration in Kazanskaya Square, the British newspaper reported.
Kremlin coup attempt? Billionaire Mikhail Khodorkovsky accused of trying to remove Putin from power
The former Yukos oil tycoon has been accused by Russia's internal security service, along with 22 other exiled businessmen, politicians and activists, of plotting a coup
Oct 16, 2025 19:48 423
