Khodorkovsky & Lebedev Communications Center

While the case against Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev will remain a damaging part of Putin's legacy, Masha Lipman, editor of the Carnegie Moscow Center's Pro et Contra journal, writes that the "outcome of this prosecution will shape the presidency of Putin's successor, Dmitry Medvedev."

The second trial of Khodorkovsky illustrates Russia's continued deviation from the rule of law, including subjecting the defendants to double jeopardy and the presiding judge's repeated dismissal of claims of severe prosecutorial misconduct. Lipman adds, "Although President Medvedev claims to support the rule of law, if he continues to stay out of this affair he will bear responsibility for Russia's continued plunge into lawlessness."