Khodorkovsky sentenced to 10 years in absentia for 'false information' on war

A Russian court has sentenced exiled former oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky to 10 years in prison in absentia, finding him guilty of spreading "false information" about the Russian army's actions in Ukraine. The verdict was delivered by the Meschansky District Court in Moscow, according to the independent Russian media portal Mediazona.

The charges were reportedly based on a Twitter post and a YouTube video published by Khodorkovsky. The social media post allegedly featured a "leaked letter" from a deputy finance minister to a deputy prime minister, detailing significant Russian military casualties and compensation paid to families of deceased soldiers between February and August 2022. The letter suggested nearly 49,000 soldiers had died, a figure that diverges sharply from official Russian casualty reports, leading prosecutors to accuse Khodorkovsky of falsifying the document.

Additionally, Khodorkovsky was accused over a video posted on his YouTube channel in July 2024 concerning the bombing of the Okhmatdyt children's hospital in Kyiv. His defense lawyer argued for acquittal, stating that Khodorkovsky, living abroad, could not have known the information was deliberately false.

This is not the first legal action against the former Yukos oil company owner. In October, Russia's FSB security service reported another criminal case against Khodorkovsky and other members of his Anti-War Committee of Russia. They were accused of belonging to a terrorist organization, inciting violent seizure of power, and publicly inciting terrorism, as well as financing Ukrainian paramilitary units. The Anti-War Committee of Russia was declared a terrorist organization in March.