Khodorkovsky & Lebedev Communications Center

Alexander Lebedev has acquired The Independent, with the prospect of little, since the newspaper is losing money. Explaining his action, Lebedev said: "I invest in entities that contribute to democracy and transparency."

France's La Tribune comments that the investment may be a "life insurance" for Lebedev: his political confrontations with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin put him at risk. However, Patrick Forbes, the writer of a documentary on Russian Oligarchs for the BBC, said: "One would have to be very brave, in Russia, to wish to destroy one of the West's main voices."

La Tribune therefore concludes that Lebedev's acquisition of The Independent could be a tactic to keep him from undergoing Mikhail Khodorkovsky's fate.