February 08, 2008

Plenty of Answers. None of Them Enlightening.

We have this occasional problem with our FT delivery: the paper is actually printed elsewhere (in Chicago, I believe) and has to be flown up here for distribution, and, on occasion, it doesn't make it from the printers to the airport on time. Hence, one day we will go empty handed, but the next, we will have two newspapers on our doorstep. Yesterday, we had no paper. Today, we had two, and while I usually take this sort of thing in stride, I was a wee bit pissed off because the front page story on yesterday's FT was the first face-to-face interview with Mikhail Khodorkovsky since 2003.

Khodorkovsky was in court on a hearing related to new fraud and embezzlement charges levied against him, and he spoke with the FT's reporter during a break. You can read the transcript of the interview here. I have to say, I don't really know what to make of the entire situation. Khodorkovsky is currently on a hunger strike, to protest the treatment of one of his former Yukos' vice presidents, who was being offered treatment for some medical problems in return for falsifying testimony against Khodorkovsky. The former Yukos vice president refused, and so Khodorkovsky decided to starve himself to try and get his vice president admitted to a Moscow hospital for treatment. So, for someone who has put himself up as a martyr for democracy, and is currently starving himself so that a fellow prisoner (and friend) can get medical treatment, I kind of expected more vitriol against Putin and his hand picked successor, Dmitry Medvedev. Not so.

FT: Do you think Medvedev believes in the rule of law? When he becomes president is some kind of change possible?

MK: It’s very difficult for me to predict, because it will be so difficult for him. I can’t even imagine. Honestly speaking, if you asked me how to get Russia out of this situation, I would be utterly lost. Tradition, and the state of people’s minds, and the lack of forces able to [support] any movement towards the rule of law, everything’s against him. So…may God grant him the strength to do it. All we can do is hope.”

But that's not the only curious answer Khodorkovsky gave:

FT: Some people say fear is returning to Russia, that things could go back to the Soviet era…

MK: I hope that that won’t happen. We need to be ready for the best…I don’t think it will happen. People can leave freely, the internet works. It’s just not possible.

FT: But the Federation Council will examine a law on internet this week?

MK: That’s just not possible. Everyone clearly understands that innovation is important, we won’t be able to survive without innovative technology.

FT: But does the government understand that?

MK: The government understands it very well. Even the oil industry can’t work properly without innovation. There can be situations where it’s very difficult to develop an oil well. Without innovation you can’t do it.{...}

Naive? I don't think anyone in their right mind could claim that Khodorkovsky, of all people, is naive. That's just not a possiblity. Beaten down to the point where all he has is hope to cling to? Perhaps. Not in his right mind because he hasn't eaten in ten days? Well within the realm of possibilities. Trying to play the game Putin's way, and is putting out the message that he's finally gotten with the program in the hopes that the establishment will ease up on him? Again, well within the realm of possibilities. I don't really know. It's all very curious. Very, very curious.

But I have to say, what I was really hoping for was some enlightening commentary on this issue:

FT: What’s your attitude to the auctions of Yukos assets that took place last year?

MK: I reacted to all that fairly calmly. Because I used up all my nerves in 2004, when a company that was working well was seized and handed over to Rosneft. Rosneft today is basically Yukos with a bit added on. To a large extent, it’s the same people. The production capacity is 75 per cent the same. Rosneft is Yukos after three years of peredelok.

What the hell? His former company headquarters sells for almost $4B US to an unknown entity, when everyone claimed it wasn't worth more than $300M, and all he's got to say about it is that he reacted fairly calmly to it? Sheesh. It's not like I expected all that much, but come on! This is Russia, for chrissakes! Ate least wrap your answer up in an enigma that will leave me wondering for days, bub. Get with the program, eh?

Go read the whole thing. The answers may not be all that enlightening, but if you read between the lines, well, perhaps you might get your Russian Grandmaster political jones satisfied.

Posted by Kathy at February 8, 2008 10:53 AM | TrackBack
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