Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Mikhail Khodorkovsky, once Russia's most famous prisoner, has harshly criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin over the annexation of Crimea and Russian pressure against Ukraine.
Khodorkovsky, who spent 10 years in prison in a case widely seen as political revenge by Putin, opened a conference in Kiev devoted to fostering ties between Ukraine and Russia. He said Thursday that Putin was being petty and vengeful against a democratic uprising and that he and many other Russians are opposed to Putin's policies on Ukraine.
He also said "no dictator, however powerful he is, can turn us into enemies."
Participants at the conference included the most prominent Kremlin critics and thinkers. Khodorkovsky also suggested that major changes await Russia "and the wildest dreams today become reality tomorrow."
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.