Russian Ex-Tycoon Khodorkovsky May Seek UK Asylum

Former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, a fierce critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, says he is considering applying for political asylum in the UK and he feels safe in London.

He was speaking in a BBC interview after a Russian court declared him “under arrest in absentia” over the 1990s murder of a Siberian mayor.

“Definitely I’m considering asking for asylum in the UK,” he said.

Mr. Putin “sees me – it’s obvious now – as a serious threat”, he said.

Once Russia’s richest man, the former head of the now defunct Yukos Oil Firm spent 10 years in a Siberian prison on fraud charges, which he says were politically motivated.

Read more at: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35172909