Yukos and Mikhail Khodorkovsky: An Unfolding Drama

Abstract:     
This chapter details the early career of Mikhail Khodorkovsky. Graduating from his university just as Gorbachev’s perestroika and glasnost were implemented, the bright, ambitious Khodorkovsky blazed a new career path in the last years of the Soviet Union. As Gorbachev’s attempted reforms destroyed the moribund command economy of the USSR, Khodorkovsky and his associates created a secret, hugely successful business empire. With the dissolution of the USSR and the establishment of the New Russia, Khodorkovsky was one of very small number of extremely wealthy “oligarchs” who used their business savvy to build fortunes incredibly quickly. During Boris Yeltsin’s presidency, Khodorkovsky came to control Yukos Oil, Russia’s largest, most profitable oil company, and wield enormous political power and influence in Russian affairs. This chapter concludes the arrest of Khodorkovsky, prior to the dismantling of Yukos during Vladimir Putin’s first term as Russia’s president.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 31

Keywords: Russia, corporate governance, Khodorkovsky, Putin, Yukos, oil, political influence, USSR, Gorbachov, Gorbachev, Command economy, transitional economics, oligarch, Russian bankers

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