Khodorkovsky & Lebedev Communications Center

Beyond the politically motivated persecution of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Platon Lebedev and other Yukos executives, Russian authorities have ruthlessly pursued the company's assets, stopping at nothing until these assets were absorbed by the country's state-controlled energy firms. The illegal expropriation of Yukos assets by the Russian Government has prompted a number of international legal proceedings to recover billions of dollars lost by investors globally.

Beginning in December 2003, the Russian tax authorities began an extraordinary re-audit of Yukos's tax payments. Through misapplying Russian tax law and creating entirely new enforcement principles solely applied to Yukos, the company was hit with total new tax claims in excess of $27 billion. Yukos assets were frozen to force default, and then seized in order to pay the alleged tax debts. Presidential advisor Andrei Illarianov described the seizure and sale of Yukos's crown jewel production unit Yuganskneftegaz as the "scam of the year", and resigned in protest.

About the Yukos Affair

The "Yukos Affair," as it was labeled by the media, refers not only to the arrest and conviction of Mikhail Khodorkovsky and other Yukos employees but also to the dismantling of the company and discriminatory and unlawful expropriation of its key assets..

Timeline

See an interactive timeline of events in the ongoing persecution of Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev.

Shareholder Lawsuits

International investors from around the world have initiated legal action against the Russian Government, in international courts and arbitration chambers, for the destruction of the company and discriminatory expropriation of its assets. Read more about these cases and their current status.

Yukos European Court of Human Rights Complaint

Yukos's former management has brought a case against the Russian Federation in the European Court of Human Rights, in relation to the tax claims that forced the company's bankruptcy. Khodorkovsky and Lebedev are not parties to this case. Read about Yukos vs. Russian Federation.

International Extradition Cases

Former Yukos employees have been pursued internationally by the Russian authorities. Following requests for mutual legal assistance, courts in a number of countries, including Cyprus, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, have found the cases brought by the Russian state against Khodorkovsky, Lebedev and others to be politically motivated and fundamentally flawed. Foreign courts and justice authorities have refused to assist Russia in extradition requests relating to Khodorkovsky, his associates and related companies.

Other Key Individuals

Over 50 criminal cases have been filed against Yukos executives, employees, and owners in connection with the campaign against the company. In addition to the high-profile trial of Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev, several other cases, in particular, have received a good deal of attention.