Mikhail Khodorkovsky
@khodorkovsky.com
A leader of the Russian opposition, reformer. Ex-political prisoner (2003–2013). Follow for insights on current events in Russia and beyond.
My book 'How to Slay a Dragon: Building a New Russia After Putin' is available here — https://a.co/d/ai95jkW
My book 'How to Slay a Dragon: Building a New Russia After Putin' is available here — https://a.co/d/ai95jkW
Russian soldier to his sister: "They send us as cannon fodder while commanders sit in bunkers shouting 'Forward!' They shake us down for money, fill their pockets, then send us to die so we can't come back for what's ours"
January 9, 2026 at 7:07 PM
Russian soldier to his sister: "They send us as cannon fodder while commanders sit in bunkers shouting 'Forward!' They shake us down for money, fill their pockets, then send us to die so we can't come back for what's ours"
The newest punishment in Putin’s army: burying soldiers up to their necks when they refuse to die on command.
Two cases from a paratrooper unit show clearly how commanders are treating their own wounded men.
Two cases from a paratrooper unit show clearly how commanders are treating their own wounded men.
January 6, 2026 at 6:50 PM
The newest punishment in Putin’s army: burying soldiers up to their necks when they refuse to die on command.
Two cases from a paratrooper unit show clearly how commanders are treating their own wounded men.
Two cases from a paratrooper unit show clearly how commanders are treating their own wounded men.
Let’s call things by their proper names: Maduro’s capture is not a victory for international law. It is a demonstration of Western — above all American — power, and of a readiness to use that power in international politics. [1/3]
January 5, 2026 at 8:40 PM
Let’s call things by their proper names: Maduro’s capture is not a victory for international law. It is a demonstration of Western — above all American — power, and of a readiness to use that power in international politics. [1/3]
Putin now admits what the Kremlin has denied for months: Russia's war-driven growth is over.
Labor reserves are exhausted, unemployment — at record lows, and no solutions in sight.
Key takeaways from his annual Direct Line broadcast: [1/13]
Labor reserves are exhausted, unemployment — at record lows, and no solutions in sight.
Key takeaways from his annual Direct Line broadcast: [1/13]
January 5, 2026 at 6:45 PM
Putin now admits what the Kremlin has denied for months: Russia's war-driven growth is over.
Labor reserves are exhausted, unemployment — at record lows, and no solutions in sight.
Key takeaways from his annual Direct Line broadcast: [1/13]
Labor reserves are exhausted, unemployment — at record lows, and no solutions in sight.
Key takeaways from his annual Direct Line broadcast: [1/13]
No evidence that any one of them had contact with Ukrainian intelligence or were involved in planning the attack.
[7/19]
[7/19]
December 30, 2025 at 3:23 PM
No evidence that any one of them had contact with Ukrainian intelligence or were involved in planning the attack.
[7/19]
[7/19]
The defendants included freight brokers, warehouse managers, company directors, truck drivers, and a man accused solely because a virtual SIM card he once rented appeared in the investigation.
[6/19]
[6/19]
December 30, 2025 at 3:23 PM
The defendants included freight brokers, warehouse managers, company directors, truck drivers, and a man accused solely because a virtual SIM card he once rented appeared in the investigation.
[6/19]
[6/19]
2025 in review: Remember the Crimean Bridge bombing?
8 men who were likely innocent got life sentences for it.
🧵(Read on)
8 men who were likely innocent got life sentences for it.
🧵(Read on)
December 30, 2025 at 3:23 PM
2025 in review: Remember the Crimean Bridge bombing?
8 men who were likely innocent got life sentences for it.
🧵(Read on)
8 men who were likely innocent got life sentences for it.
🧵(Read on)
Russia's "import substitution" policy is a cruel joke and has created a catastrophic dependence on China.
How the promise of independence led to a humiliating reality of isolation and decline. 🧵 [1/18]
How the promise of independence led to a humiliating reality of isolation and decline. 🧵 [1/18]
December 29, 2025 at 8:25 PM
Russia's "import substitution" policy is a cruel joke and has created a catastrophic dependence on China.
How the promise of independence led to a humiliating reality of isolation and decline. 🧵 [1/18]
How the promise of independence led to a humiliating reality of isolation and decline. 🧵 [1/18]
In other cases, blurb quotes by 'undesirables' are being redacted by the Kremlin. A quote by dissident author Boris Akunin—whose books have been disappearing from shelves since 2023—was blacked out on the cover of 'Podstrochnik', a novel about the life of Soviet linguist Lilianna Lungina.
[10/13]
[10/13]
December 23, 2025 at 7:10 PM
In other cases, blurb quotes by 'undesirables' are being redacted by the Kremlin. A quote by dissident author Boris Akunin—whose books have been disappearing from shelves since 2023—was blacked out on the cover of 'Podstrochnik', a novel about the life of Soviet linguist Lilianna Lungina.
[10/13]
[10/13]
Among the books to be censored in this way are 'The Thirst For Authenticity' - a book by US researcher Skye Cleary about the ideas of feminist Simone de Beauvoir - and 'Day', a 2023 novel by American author Michael Cunningham.
[9/13]
[9/13]
December 23, 2025 at 7:10 PM
Among the books to be censored in this way are 'The Thirst For Authenticity' - a book by US researcher Skye Cleary about the ideas of feminist Simone de Beauvoir - and 'Day', a 2023 novel by American author Michael Cunningham.
[9/13]
[9/13]
Rather than ban entire books, the Kremlin has taken to having passages it disapproves of removed from the books before they go on sale.
[7/13]
[7/13]
December 23, 2025 at 7:10 PM
Rather than ban entire books, the Kremlin has taken to having passages it disapproves of removed from the books before they go on sale.
[7/13]
[7/13]
As the year draws to a close, a chilling question hangs over Russia's literary realm: If Dostoevsky isn't immune, who is?
The Kremlin's censorship reached unprecedented levels in 2025, and the trend is ominous.
🧵Here's what you need to know: [1/13]
The Kremlin's censorship reached unprecedented levels in 2025, and the trend is ominous.
🧵Here's what you need to know: [1/13]
December 23, 2025 at 7:10 PM
As the year draws to a close, a chilling question hangs over Russia's literary realm: If Dostoevsky isn't immune, who is?
The Kremlin's censorship reached unprecedented levels in 2025, and the trend is ominous.
🧵Here's what you need to know: [1/13]
The Kremlin's censorship reached unprecedented levels in 2025, and the trend is ominous.
🧵Here's what you need to know: [1/13]
They have profiles on VK and Odnoklassniki, posts and photos that can be used for identification, even created dating profiles and write reviews on Google Maps that can expose their routines and locations.
[16/20]
[16/20]
December 12, 2025 at 11:48 PM
They have profiles on VK and Odnoklassniki, posts and photos that can be used for identification, even created dating profiles and write reviews on Google Maps that can expose their routines and locations.
[16/20]
[16/20]
Despite the responsibility, pay is not extraordinary by elite-security standards. Dossier reports prewar monthly salaries typically around 140–150k rubles, rising after the invasion, with at least one non-commander reportedly reaching about 260k rubles
[13/20]
[13/20]
December 12, 2025 at 11:48 PM
Despite the responsibility, pay is not extraordinary by elite-security standards. Dossier reports prewar monthly salaries typically around 140–150k rubles, rising after the invasion, with at least one non-commander reportedly reaching about 260k rubles
[13/20]
[13/20]
Recruitment patterns are also telling, with many of them coming from Russia’s strategic nuclear infrastructure: the central command post of the Strategic Rocket Forces, communications hubs, space-tracking and early-warning related units, and the National Defence Management Center
[11/20]
[11/20]
December 12, 2025 at 11:48 PM
Recruitment patterns are also telling, with many of them coming from Russia’s strategic nuclear infrastructure: the central command post of the Strategic Rocket Forces, communications hubs, space-tracking and early-warning related units, and the National Defence Management Center
[11/20]
[11/20]
Dossier names the unit’s commander as Colonel Andrey Zhuravlev, and identifies a handful of group leaders and senior figures, including Major-General Alexander Bulanov, who previously headed the service before leaving the military and later appearing again in documentation
[10/20]
[10/20]
December 12, 2025 at 11:48 PM
Dossier names the unit’s commander as Colonel Andrey Zhuravlev, and identifies a handful of group leaders and senior figures, including Major-General Alexander Bulanov, who previously headed the service before leaving the military and later appearing again in documentation
[10/20]
[10/20]
Dossier Center identified 53 people connected to this service since at least 2021, using internal documents plus open sources and leaks. The group is overwhelmingly senior: mostly colonels and navy captains 1st rank (equivalent to colonel), plus one major-general
[9/20]
[9/20]
December 12, 2025 at 11:48 PM
Dossier Center identified 53 people connected to this service since at least 2021, using internal documents plus open sources and leaks. The group is overwhelmingly senior: mostly colonels and navy captains 1st rank (equivalent to colonel), plus one major-general
[9/20]
[9/20]
Their job is simple: keep a secure link to the nuclear forces available at all times so a launch order can be transmitted within minutes
[4/20]
[4/20]
December 12, 2025 at 11:48 PM
Their job is simple: keep a secure link to the nuclear forces available at all times so a launch order can be transmitted within minutes
[4/20]
[4/20]
These officers are the people who physically carry and operate Russia’s nuclear command-and-control terminals (“Cheget” briefcases) alongside the president, the defense minister, and the chief of the General Staff
[3/20]
[3/20]
December 12, 2025 at 11:48 PM
These officers are the people who physically carry and operate Russia’s nuclear command-and-control terminals (“Cheget” briefcases) alongside the president, the defense minister, and the chief of the General Staff
[3/20]
[3/20]
Russia’s nuclear weapons are not guarded by institutions or checks and balances. They are carried, quite literally, by a handful of officers whose sole job is to obey one man. So, what is Service K?
[2/20]
[2/20]
December 12, 2025 at 11:48 PM
Russia’s nuclear weapons are not guarded by institutions or checks and balances. They are carried, quite literally, by a handful of officers whose sole job is to obey one man. So, what is Service K?
[2/20]
[2/20]
If you think Russia’s nuclear weapons are constrained by procedure, you are dangerously wrong.
There is no "Red Button." There is just one man, and a room full of people too afraid to stop him, latest investigation by @dossier_center shows:
[1/20]
There is no "Red Button." There is just one man, and a room full of people too afraid to stop him, latest investigation by @dossier_center shows:
[1/20]
December 12, 2025 at 11:48 PM
If you think Russia’s nuclear weapons are constrained by procedure, you are dangerously wrong.
There is no "Red Button." There is just one man, and a room full of people too afraid to stop him, latest investigation by @dossier_center shows:
[1/20]
There is no "Red Button." There is just one man, and a room full of people too afraid to stop him, latest investigation by @dossier_center shows:
[1/20]
In 2012, this man ran the campaign of Putin’s “rival.”
Today, he supports Putin and the war — yet is still afraid to speak openly.
You can’t support Putin and claim to support free speech. End of story.
Today, he supports Putin and the war — yet is still afraid to speak openly.
You can’t support Putin and claim to support free speech. End of story.
December 12, 2025 at 11:39 PM
In 2012, this man ran the campaign of Putin’s “rival.”
Today, he supports Putin and the war — yet is still afraid to speak openly.
You can’t support Putin and claim to support free speech. End of story.
Today, he supports Putin and the war — yet is still afraid to speak openly.
You can’t support Putin and claim to support free speech. End of story.
While Brussels argues about frozen funds, Putin’s goal is simple: have sanctions lifted so Russia's industry stops decaying.
Because this is where China can't — and won't — replace Europe.
Because this is where China can't — and won't — replace Europe.
December 11, 2025 at 8:20 PM
While Brussels argues about frozen funds, Putin’s goal is simple: have sanctions lifted so Russia's industry stops decaying.
Because this is where China can't — and won't — replace Europe.
Because this is where China can't — and won't — replace Europe.
The most dangerous moment in dealing with the Kremlin is when Putin opens his mouth.
He guaranteed Prigozhin’s safety weeks before blowing him out of the sky; promised peace in Ukraine days before launching an invasion.
🧵 We may have to deal with him, but we must never trust him
He guaranteed Prigozhin’s safety weeks before blowing him out of the sky; promised peace in Ukraine days before launching an invasion.
🧵 We may have to deal with him, but we must never trust him
December 8, 2025 at 5:01 PM
The most dangerous moment in dealing with the Kremlin is when Putin opens his mouth.
He guaranteed Prigozhin’s safety weeks before blowing him out of the sky; promised peace in Ukraine days before launching an invasion.
🧵 We may have to deal with him, but we must never trust him
He guaranteed Prigozhin’s safety weeks before blowing him out of the sky; promised peace in Ukraine days before launching an invasion.
🧵 We may have to deal with him, but we must never trust him
With the release of Epstein files pending, let me remind what we've uncovered:
Convicted sex-trafficker worked directly with an FSB officer who ran Putin's elite St. Petersburg Economic Forum. We have their emails
🧵(Read on)
Convicted sex-trafficker worked directly with an FSB officer who ran Putin's elite St. Petersburg Economic Forum. We have their emails
🧵(Read on)
December 2, 2025 at 3:23 PM
With the release of Epstein files pending, let me remind what we've uncovered:
Convicted sex-trafficker worked directly with an FSB officer who ran Putin's elite St. Petersburg Economic Forum. We have their emails
🧵(Read on)
Convicted sex-trafficker worked directly with an FSB officer who ran Putin's elite St. Petersburg Economic Forum. We have their emails
🧵(Read on)