On April 22, Richard Sakwa, professor of Russian and European politics at the University of Kent, will present his forthcoming book titled Putin and the Oligarch: The Khodorkovsky-Yukos Affair in Washington, DC. The event is sponsored by the Institute of Modern Russia.
The arrest of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the head of the Yukos oil company, in October 2003, was a key turning point in modern Russian history. Although officially charged with fraud and tax evasion, many speculated that the real catalyst for Khodorkovsky’s arrest was his outspoken criticism of President Vladimir Putin’s regime. After two controversial trials, attracting widespread international condemnation, Khodorkovsky was sentenced to 14 years in jail.
In his forthcoming book titled Putin and the Oligarch: The Khodorkovsky-Yukos Affair, Richard Sakwa, professor of Russian and European politics at the University of Kent, examines the rise and fall of Yukos and considers the relationship between Putin’s state and big business during Russia's traumatic shift from the Soviet planned economy to capitalism, as well as Russia's emergence as an energy superpower. The attack on Khodorkovsky had—and continues to have —far-reaching political and economic consequences but it also raises fundamental questions about the quality of freedom in Putin’s Russia as well as the world at large.
Please join the Institute of Modern Russia for a presentation of Putin and the Oligarch by the author, Professor Richard Sakwa. At the event, attendees will be able to purchase copies of Professor Sakwa’s book in advance of the official release date.
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
1:00 pm
Greenberg Traurig
2101 L Street, NW, Suite 1000
Washington, DC 20037
Admission is free.
Please RSVP to imrrsvp@gmail.com
