Panic in Russia as paranoid Putin accuses exiles of plotting revolution to overthrow him

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has opened a criminal case against several prominent Kremlin critics living in exile, including businessman Mikhail Khodorkovsky, accusing them of organizing a violent coup against Vladimir Putin’s government.

According to the FSB’s announcement, the investigation targets all 22 members of the Russian Antiwar Committee a group made up of exiled politicians, journalists, business figures, artists, and academics who oppose Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

Among the members under investigation are Vladimir Kara-Murza, a respected dissident currently imprisoned in Russia; former world chess champion Garry Kasparov; and former prime minister Mikhail Kasyanov.

The FSB described the group as “Khodorkovsky and his accomplices,” claiming they financed and recruited Ukrainian paramilitary forces  allegations Khodorkovsky strongly rejected.

“These accusations are absolutely false,” Khodorkovsky said, stressing that the committee’s activities are “entirely public, peaceful, and humanitarian.”

Once one of Russia’s wealthiest businessmen and the head of the Yukos oil company, Khodorkovsky spent ten years in a Siberian prison on charges widely considered to be politically motivated. He was pardoned in 2013 and has since lived in exile, currently residing in London.

Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Khodorkovsky has become one of the most outspoken figures in the Russian opposition abroad. Moscow later labeled him a “foreign agent.”

Speaking to Reuters, Khodorkovsky said Putin views the growing unity among his exiled opponents as a serious threat to his rule:

“This alternative point of legitimacy represents the greatest danger for him and his regime,” he said.

“This shows that building cooperation between international institutions and the consolidated Russian opposition is the right approach.”

He added that the FSB’s new accusations are a “black mark” for all Russian activists who still dream of a democratic alternative to Putin’s government.

“This decision raises the risks for everyone who sees themselves as ready to be an alternative to the current regime,” Khodorkovsky warned.