Putin Foe Urges Biden, EU To Battle 'Bandit' Russian Leader Resolutely

Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who made it big with Yukos, one of Russia’s biggest oil firms, and sought to open up the economy and promote liberal democracy only to be dumped by President Vlamidir Putin and imprisoned for 10 years, says US President Joe Biden and the West must consider Putin as the bandit of the Kremlin who should be ousted.

Photo Insert: Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who made it big with Yukos, stressed that the West must face down Putin now or prepare for something worse.

Writing and essay for The Economist on April 2, 2022, Khodorkovsky stressed that the West must face down Putin now or prepare for something worse. He says his experience taught him how to deal with “bandits” like Putin: “I can say that the most dangerous thing is to show them any weakness or uncertainty.”

“I have been fighting a personal war with Vladimir Putin for nearly 20 years. It led to my being jailed in Russia for 10 years and then expelled, with a warning that life imprisonment awaited me if I ever returned. Do I know the man who did all this to me? I think I do. That is why I look with despair at the defeatist approach of Western leaders, such as Joe Biden, Emmanuel Macron, and Naftali Bennett,” Khodorkovsky grumbled.

“It is difficult for me to judge how their actions are seen by their electorates. However, I know well how they are perceived by Putin, sitting at the end of his long table. They fly to Moscow, call him, ask him to stop, but assure him that they will not interfere and do not want him to perceive certain movements as a provocation. The president sees all of this as weakness, and that is extremely dangerous,” he concluded.

WEEKLY FEATURE : MVP Group Keeps Lights On During Pandemic