[Skybird]

Khodorkovsky is no freedom fighter or civil rights acitivist. He was a money launderer indeed, a godfather-like oligarch, a criminal who thought that becasue he was investing public funds for the state in risky businesses he would have a right to start dictating the state what policies to implement. That was in the Jelzin years. But he missed the point of time when the rules in the Kreml changed - due to Putin. Think about Putin what you want, but Putin enforced a strict limitation of the new tycoons' demands and power options, making it clear that their private wealth and happiness will only last as long as they stay out of the state'S business, and do not work against the Kreml.

Khodorkovsky abused the relative freedom of the 90s for his own criminal businesses. He is anything but a propagator of freedom or democracy for the people. There is no reason to shed a tear about this Mafiosi.

Also, we should take note of that the move against Kodorkowski, as well as Putin'S policies in general, are extremely popular with a vast majority of the Russian people. Who are we to constantly tell them what they should like and what not? As if the EU or the US are free from corruption and criminal policies! We have enough dirt under our own carpets, our interest with Russia must be stability before anything else, and finally we have ruined and effectively bancrupted our states with misled policies and financial mismanagement. The latter is what makes our ways anything but a shining example to the world. So: leave the Russians alone, and forget Khodorkovsky. He swam with the sharks and was one of them, and he got eaten. Big deal.