Mikhail Khodorkovsky: 'Russia's democratic future lies with Britain'

Jailed Russian former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky attends a court session in Moscow last July. Photograph: Sergei Karpukhin/Reuters

Only a few years ago Britain was the main opponent of the Kremlin in the international arena. From ex-president Vladimir Putin we heard barbed attacks and sharp reproaches. Putin's inner circle grew used to accusing Britain of meddling in Russia's internal affairs. Institutions such as the British Council came up against impossible obstacles in Russia.

But we shouldn't forget that when Putin had just come to power, Tony Blair thought him his best friend in the world. Blair, then prime minister, saw Britain as a conduit for renewing Russia within a new system of international relations.

So why in the middle of the 2000s did Russian-British relations radically deteriorate and end up in a dead end? First and foremost, Britain didn't justify the hopes of the authoritarian leadership emerging at the time in Russia. Britain did not turn a blind eye to the shutdown of democracy and the encroachment on human rights in our country. The British justice system repeatedly demonstrated its independence. Courts refused to hand back dozens of Russians who, once home, could have become victims of a deliberately biased prosecution and ended up in a Russian jail, where it's difficult to survive. Among those granted asylum were employees from my oil company, Yukos.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/sep/19/mikhail-khodorkovsky-britain-russia-future