tycoon mikhail khodorkovsky may have already walked free after the russian president vladimir putin signed his pa. stripped of its full mocks the european union loses its top credit rating. and tense budget negotiations inside the block. for syria so it is community pressing for a seat at the negotiating table for the upcoming geneva peace talks hoping to grab the opportunity to secure their independence and their rights. this hour's top headlines from around the world it's r.t. international with me rule resewn a very warm welcome to you today reports are now saying that mikhail khodorkovsky may have already left the prison where he was serving the sentence for embezzle mint and fraud it comes less than one hour off the president putin signed a pardon for the former tycoon who had fallen amnesty plea let's get more on this now go to chris going off now joining us live here on the program what do we know yet god has he already walked out. well first of all i'd like to apologize for the sound problems that you may be hearing because we've just lended here at the airport and she said you can

>> i don't think this has nothing to do with khodorkovsky khodorkovsky's ill mother. i think it has everything to do with the olympics. >> is it really that important? >> it depends on what you call state. it's a lot of money and the most expensive olympics. and the second stake is the participation. putin is expecting to have high level international participation, and that is exactly the reason , it's to give those leaders who want to come, but they cannot come under current circumstances. it's kind of a giving and, cues more than shap --excusing the shaping of russia. >> so they feel safer coming and they won't have to have public relations blow back if they visit russia during the games. >> yes, exactly. if you look at how russians behave from their imperial past, they amount certain problems, that this should not be a problem at all. then they start to sort one by one. khodorskovsky, the pussy riots, and the notorious arrest of the greenpeace activists people were very surprised. but those who are russian are not surprised. going back to normalities is doing a fa

most notable, mikhail khodorkovsky. he has spent ten year in jail. he was found guilty of tax invasion in 2015 and i am bes embezzlementment in 2010. >> he's citing humanitarian reasons, his mother is ill. i think taking that into circumstances it is possible to make the relative decision. >> reporter: the russian president also announced a new amnesty bill which will free several political prisoners. prisoners not involved in violent crimes, minors, women, small children and first time offenders. the bill will grant release of greenpeace activists involved in an arctic demonstration and members of the punk group pussy riot who was arrested a. >> it was denigrating to women. >> reporter: pew ton cut neighboring ukraine's natural tax tax 30% and promised to helped the nearly bankrupt country $30 million. >> we just see that ukraine is in a difficult state, and it is necessary to support it. >> reporter: for almost a month now thousands of pro west ukrainians have taken over independent square in the country's capitol of kiev. they're protesting viktor

so one of russia's highest profile prisoners the former oil tycoon mr khodorkovsky is now set to walk free he spent a decade in jail long tax evasion charges. big surprise. reports. he may well be one of the most well known prisoners in the world but the idea of a pardon for former russian tycoon mikhail khodorkovsky was unexpected to say the least rather really with. the news came absolutely out of the blue last time i spoke with him was back in august and he didn't show any intention of filing a petition i totally support any decision of his he needs to be set free his children and even grandchildren grew up without him a four hour q. and a and not one question about fred of course ski and then this if you don't know who the kospi recently wrote a petition asking me to pardon him he spent more than ten years in prison this is a serious punishment he saw as humanitarian reasons saying his mother is sick and i believe taking jus account of all the circumstances it's possible to take a respective decision and in the near future i will sign a decree to pardon him the former c.e.o. and f

khodorkovsky has been released.lookdent putting trying to more reasonable. >> resident routine has been putin isent attempting to deflect some of the criticism that he is been getting from western governments. also at the same time trying to improve russia's investment climate which has really been suffering. if you think about it, at the end of the day he is being released after a decade in prison. he did lose his $36 billion company. why we saw aasons little bit of an uptick in the .tock market >> doing or he is going? >> we don't. there's some talk that he may go to germany. president putin said that he requested a pardon on humanitarian grounds. he can be with his mother who is fighting cancer in germany. we have not heard from mikhail khodorkovsky himself. he's only person who knows. his lawyer just said he has definitely left the prison. it is a big question. is he going to moscow? will he return to politics e t is the oligarch, the first oligarch who broke the unwritten deal with president putin that if you w

breaking news international mikhail khodorkovsky lands in germany after being released from prison in russia after president putin signed a pardon what he called humanitarian principles. the idea that the people don't deserve access to knowledge because people cannot deal with. co-producer of a movie which shows just how hard it can be for whistleblowers to get the truth in print. and syria's embattled kurds take their ambitions for autonomy to a new level demanding a seat at next month's international peace talks in switzerland our top stories this. hour from a studio city here in moscow which has turned eight pm this is international so after a decade of incarceration. is free russia's most high profile prisoner left jail and traveled to germany board a private jet let's get the latest now from. who is in berlin tell us peter what have you heard from the german officials who've obviously greeted khodorkovsky. well apparently received a warn your visa or on arrival to berlin shauna feld airport now he left the airport in a motorcade protected by police along with the for the german f

mikhail khodorkovsky talked about this yesterday. it is a bit of the symbol of the strength that president boudin believes he has, that he can let these dissidents, if you will, go. and not worry about any threat to his rule. -- if mikhail khodorkovsky had said that he thought any of them could mount some serious opposition to his leadership, then he probably would not have let them go. so yes, concession. sign of weakness, i do not think so. >> certainly a great political exercise ahead of the sochi games. ryan chilcote with the latest on the release of mikhail khodorkovsky. >> it is time for a bloomberg exclusive. says he mayson build individual casino resorts in major european cities after aborting plans or a $35 billion mega-resort in spain. he was speaking to our middle east editor, elliott gotkine. elliott joins us now. ,espite the downturn in europe he does not seem to be that put off. >> he is not. in fact, he seems to be eyeing major european cities. barcelona, paris, even athens as locations for such an individual integrate

khodorkovsky ordinary russians were thrown into. abject poverty into abject misery this is not a man who should be called the fires in the west the only reason he's being glorified in the west is because he's a critic and opponents of president putin a president who has made strong again. for the reckless. of the nineteen nineties mr khodorkovsky valid to fight for the release of some of his former colleagues who were jailed now and some of them were found guilty on charges of murder so do you agree with mr holder confiscates description of them as political prisoners. i certainly don't agree whatsoever they're not political prisoners as you said one of them was convicted of murder the other once they were convicted of having been associated with the left of russian state assets in the ninety nine seas if. he had done what he had done in russia but say in britain where i live he would have been thrown into jail there would have been no mercy from the british major i'm quite rightly as well rico could of course create is a criminal b

khodorkovsky requested a pardon so he could see his aging parents again. an extra ordinary turnaround after 10 years of rivalry between president and prisoner, a move no one was expecting. once mikhail khodorkovsky is a powerful oil magnate, russia's richest man. then he was put on trial and charged with fraud and tax evasion. he always insisted he was innocent, the victim of a kremlin plot to prevent him from challenging mr. putin. why is he being released now? wider prisons as a amnesty looks set to release protesters from greenpeace and the riot -- bbc world news -- pussy riot rockband. it may be part of improving russia's image ahead of the olympics. it may also be a signal president putin no longer fears opposition rivals and can be generous in releasing them. >> khodorkovsky released just ahead of the sochi olympics. president obama has issued an ominous warning on the violence in south sudan. the u.s. is urging south sudan leaders to come together to begin political dialogue. the united nations says at least 11 civilians who sought refuge were kille

everyone hoping for a glimpse of khodorkovsky. we know he has been reunited with h his family but we have yt to see him. his son did come out and speak to the media a little earlier. >> my family is finally reunited, and we're very happy to be together after the ten years of separation. as you can imagine my father is going through a lot right now, and he cannot possibly be with all of you today, but he really appreciates all of the support that he has received through these years, and all of the people that have cared for him and cared for his story over the past ten years. >> a russian analyst here in germany, may i ask, everyone seems to be surprised by this, but the wheels of diplomacy have been moving for a long time. >> i'm happy for the freedom of mr. khodorkovsky. he'll be able to find a new way for himself. the second point is the bureaucracy between russia and germany are working very well together. that's very important for the solution that we find here. and the third point i is that te family comes together. it's amaz

from behind bars to berlin former russian tycoon mikhail khodorkovsky is in germany looking forward to being reality with his family following his pardon i'm released from prison. defense as a price eight and a half trillion dollars goes on a kind and for less than two decades as part of the effort to keep the pentagon running. and friday prayers turned violent in egypt as police just supporters of president he was protesting against the law restricting demonstrations. are welcome it's nice to have you company you watching. international just hours after being released from prison mikhail khodorkovsky is back in the lap of luxury for more oil tycoon was one of russia's richest men before being jailed a decade ago but following his presidential pardon he jumped on a private jet flew to bird lane and is now in a five star hotel all correspondents are following the story in russia randi let's cross live peter oliver and lindsey france first to you paint he's in you're outside the five star hotel where he's believed to be staying right now who is picking up the bill for this extravagant ta

misty for the ex tycoon president putin's decision to pardon mikhail khodorkovsky may have caused. the reaction of. the syrian kurdish community presses for a seat at the negotiating table the upcoming geneva peace talks hoping to grab the opportunity to secure their independent rights. and on the cover a team of wiki leaks journalists make a road movie about their mission to blow the whistle here what international we talked to one of them about how the leaks changing the world. it is friday morning here in moscow it's azzi international with me rule research from everybody here thanks for joining us today first of two a developing story for you here on the program the european union's credit rating has been dealt a blow standard and poor's has downgraded it from aaa to double a plus he said it's due to the weakening cohesion within the block and the overall credit worthiness of all member states of the move comes after france italy and spain suffered credit rating cuts in recent years plagued by the sovereign debt crisis and despite the downgrade s. and p. said the overall outloo

>> khodorkovsky was not really a political prisoner.was funding opposition political parties and presenting a case against putin in 2003. but the reality is he was not a prisoner of conscious, in the extent that he was to a large extent guilty of a lot of the charges against him. he was russia's richest man. he acquired a vast fortune, at least $10 billion based on manipulating the system of privatization in the 1990s, where we acquired assets worth billions and billions. >> how powerful of an individual is he now? >> khodorkovsky is potentially still very powerful in this that i believe that he has still got a lot of money stashed away in offshore bank accounts and trusts and companies. only a small number of people know how to access that money. but i think he could use that money to run political campaigns from abroad. i think we'll spending time in germany, and go to america, and reinvent himself. but in 2003 he thought he was so wealthy, he could take on the kremlin and the russian state, and at the time that was a gross error of j

the exact timing of the release of khodorkovsky and the others is still unknown., to help us understand what's behind putin's announcements, i'm joined by: dimitri simes, president of the center for the national interest, a foreign policy think tank; and angela stent is director of the center for eurasian, russian and east european studies at georgetown university. her latest book is "the limits of partnership: u.s. russian relations in the 21st century." welcome to you both. angela stent to you first, why the khodorkovsky pardon? >> well, i think it reveals two things. one of them is that putin clearly doesn't feel threatened any more by khodorkovsky sow doesn't have to keep him in jail. and i think there's a lot of-- it that it's been ten years but i think secondly it has to do with all the things we heard in your important. the upcoming sochi game, the criticism russia for many of the things that putin has done recently but particularly the so-called homosexual propaganda law, which has people really riled up about what will happen at sochi about the treatment

yesterday, president clinton said mikhail khodorkovsky -- president putin said mikhail khodorkovsky asked for the pardon. he was due to get out in august. he refused to ask for a pardon. in russia, that presupposes acceptance of guilt. he has maintained he is not guilty. in fact, this was a vendetta against him that president putin has wanted to get rid of him and basically pushed him out of the way to cement his grip on power in 2003. >> why did putin release him? that hewn rationale shared with journalists yesterday was that 10 years is a long time, his mother is sick. done his time. the fact of the matter is we are a couple of months from the winter olympics in russia. relationships between russia and the u.s. and the west have been poor, particularly recently over the anti-gay laws. for a long time, the west has been calling for the release of mikhail khodorkovsky. they believe he is a political prisoner. he is a rival of vladimir putin. he spent most of his time in prison criticizing putin. this is thought of as a concession to the west to lower the temperature and relations before t

putin has the blue, said he will pardon mikhail khodorkovsky. he has already spent more than 10 years in jail. it is a serious punishment. these are circumstances of a humanitarian nature. his mother is ill. i will soon sign an order about his pardon. >> mikhail khodorkovsky is close to in prison, the arctic circle and the announcement today appears to have taken his family and legal team by surprise. the decision follows on the heels of the amnesty agreed in russia on wednesday. that is likely to lead to women from pussy riot being set free. olympics due to start in february, it is seen as an attempt to resolve some of the most controversial cases. all over russia there is an expectation some of the most high-profile prisoners are about to be released. in siberia, where someone else is held, and her fellow pussy iot band members are being retained. but nobody knows what the timetable is. as ever, that will be controlled by the kremlin. you are watching "bbc world news america." on,l to come, three years we look at what has changed in egypt and

oil tycoon mikhail khodorkovsky says the entire family has been reunited in the german capital. also this hour washington is told to rein in defense spending at the pentagon amounting to eight point five trillion dollars. egypt's. prison break in two thousand and eleven. on the streets is. the first time in my life that the child. while the ongoing political witch hunt in egypt. we bring you the story of a schoolboy throw behind bars for showing support for the country's deposed leader . not from a studio. international. he has met his whole family in the german capital the former flew straight to berlin to being let out of a russian penal colony on friday following a presidential pardon of the reports from outside the hotel where he's believed to be staying. on the calcutta coast is most full day of freedom was a day of reunification with family here in berlin his son told us this is son pavel who'd flown from new york told us that the whole family had been reunited and that they were all very happy he really appreciates all of the support that he has received through lee's yea

mikhail khodorkovsky used to be russia's richest man until he was thrown in jail.is speaking out. ♪ >> this is lunch money on bloomberg television. we're also streaming live. today's moving pictures where the video is the story, and thailand officials want to delay an upcoming election after a riot by antigovernment protesters. clashes were sparked by demonstrators after they tried to disrupt february elections. protesters want election rules rewritten to make sure that the family of the prime minister does not keep control. shinzo abe became the first japanese prime minister to visit the shrine and seven years. it memorializes some world war ii criminals. pope francis delivered his first christmas day message to more than 100,000 people in front of the vatican. the pope called for peace on earth, citing conflicts in syria, south sudan, and elsewhere. peace calls for daily commitment, the pope told the crowd. once russia's richest man, mikhail khodorkovsky is now in berlin just days after his pardon by president vladimir putin. the ex-oil tycoon had spent more than

and mikhail khodorkovsky press conference will be held at twelve g.m.t. in berlin and of course we will be covering it live on air and online as well at r.t. dot com. at least eighty civilians have been slaughtered in the syrian town of advair north of damascus after it was raided by radical islamic some reports but the number of those killed two hundred artie's arabic channel went there to talk to why witnesses of the bloodshed. terror still fills the hearts of those who witnessed the militants during the town about drug they saw panic disoriented people running for their lives and they ran themselves they will never forget the despair in the eyes of those who were forced to stay behind we have no reliable way to communicate with the people trapped inside out but officials are saying the atrocities against the civilian population are continuing people are being butchered and even burned alive and every bit of news coming out of the town is doing a new blow to those whose families are still being held by the militants everyone working for the local author

to german television now missed again sure has it seems been instrumental in bringing mikhail khodorkovsky here to win he has to have done a lot of work prior to him arriving here in fact he met at the airport and help him achieve they helped him receive a visa for one year to allow him to stay inside the shamed end zone now the fact that we saw just again she leaving the hotel and he was in the same convoy of cars well that leads us to believe that mr hart of course he remains inside that central berlin hotel now in that interview that mr gaines you give to german television station he said that. he was very grateful to the mercy of blood amir putin for granting him his pardon now that echo statements that had been released by one of mr holocaust the spokespeople through a an open letter and which he thanked president putin for for granting him this this pardon on humanitarian grounds now in terms of response from the german government under miracles folks person released a statement saying the german chancellor welcome to make here to lynn and praised hans dietrich genscher for the work

khodorkovsky is saying, that he is a true oligarchs. he is able to influence the political environment in russia. in any case, no. there is no immediate legal officers -- obstacles for bp. >> give us a snippet about the rest of the interview with mr. khodorkovsky. we will play the rest of it later this hour. you ask him about the worst experience he had during his 10 years in prison. twice i did ask him what the worst day was like. he said there had been 4000 of them. mikhail khodorkovsky, when he went into prison, he was russia's richest man in at a fortunate something like eight ou dollars. he was sent to an area of russia 4000 miles from the capital. we talked about his time there and what he liked for christmas. >> stay with "countdown." we will have more from that interview today on bloomberg television. he will describe his single most difficult day in prison. emperor's earth day has been followed by a a robust economic report and eight cents a rally rallye nikkei -- a sansa for the nikkei. the company is seemingly on a roll. we'r

. >>> former russian oil tycoon mikhail khodorkovsky vows to help others in russia. thanked angela merkel for helping are secure his police. he was jailed for over a decade in prison. he is reuniting with his family. seemed to be a fairly wide reaching press conference. he covered a lot of ground, a lot of topics. what would you say some of the highlights were? >> well, what an amazing 36 hours mikhail khodorkovsky has had since arriving in by berlin. the press conference was quite chaotic at times. they didn't expect quite so many to show up. he thanked those who helped secure his freedom, one of those people were the german chancellor angela merkel. he was taken by surprise then found himself coming here to berlin. he said he wanted to fight for the freedom of those other political prisoners and he was also asked about going back to russia. and this is what he had to say: >> translator: mr. peskov press secretary to the russian president, said that nobody prevents me from returning to russia at any time. fortunately today, i don't have guarantees after this, i will

from behind bars to live in former russian tycoon mikhail khodorkovsky is in germany looking forward to being reunited with his family following his pardon i'm release from prison. here outside of the hotel where because he's believed to have spent his first night of freedom ten years we'll be bringing you all the latest on this story as it develops but at a price eight and a half trillion dollars goes on accounted for in less than two decades as part of the effort to keep the pentagon running. and friday prayers turned violent in egypt as police dispersed supporters of the president who were protesting against a law restricting demonstrations. casting twenty four seven live from moscow you're watching international. now just hours after being released from prison mikhail khodorkovsky is back in the lap of luxury the former oil tycoon was one of russia's richest men before being jailed a decade ago but following his presidential pardon he jumped on a private jet flew to berlin and is now in a five star hotel well earlier i spoke to our correspondents following the story in both russi

president putin says he is ready to sign a pardon for russian tycoon mikhail khodorkovsky who spent more than a decade behind. and tax evasion. amnesty international says hardline syrian rebels have established a new form of tyranny enforcing a reign of terror with secret prisons where children as young as eight are. in prejudice london rejects an e.u. offer to fund food banks has put hundreds of thousands of people in britain going hungry on top stories. from a studio center here in moscow which just past midnight this is international president vladimir putin says he will sign a motion to jailed russian tycoon mikhail khodorkovsky the businessman he spent more than ten years behind bars for embezzlement has reportedly already filed a petition to be pardoned. has this report. the president was hosting a media conference which lasted over four hours but the biggest news came after it finished he was surrounded by journalists and someone asked the question about. and suddenly the president said that the former had asked him to be released and he says the man is already spent over ten year

's after mikhail khodorkovsky imprisonment, his company was dismantled and auctioned off. assets were transferred. the ceo approached mikhail khodorkovsky with a preposition immediately after his release from prison. , theter you were released head of a company, to a certain extent which exists because of the assets that were part of yukos, said he would be happy to give you a job. he was joking. maybe he was actually mocking you. how does that make you feel? [indiscernible] right up to the end, he was trying to convince the country's leadership not to free me. only because he was personally afraid of something. a man who wants to joke around with an opponent should not use the power of the state to get rid of him. >> much more of our interview online or on your mobile device with a bloomberg tv plus apps. he stole millions but only served 22 months in jail. the story of the wolf of wall street is next. building an entire city with legos. the tweet that made hundreds of thousands of tween girls cry themselves to sleep on christmas eve. justin bieber announcing on twitter t

the west was pushing for the release of both the pussy riot activists and khodorkovsky. it is not a sign of weakness. khodorkovsky himself said president putin wouldn't do this if he didn't feel like he was in a position of strength. it does show him in a more compassionate like. -- ahead of the olympics, perhaps this is a really good pr move for president putin. >> ryan, thank you so much. is on ourat else radar this monday morning. a british airways plane has collided with a building at johannesburg international airport. the wrong taxiway as it prepared for takeoff. it wing hit an office building adjacent to the runway. the plane carried 182 passengers. to debut an aluminum f series at next month's detroit auto so. for militaryed grade metal for the display. the company makes aluminum glass shields -- blast shields for battle cars. more than 24 hours of freezing rain led to an icy buildup on trees and power lines. in some cases, trees came crashing down on cars and homes. the president of toronto's electricity provider has called it one of the worst ice storms that on

khodorkovsky had been such a symbol. knew releasing him would have a big international residents, to say the least, at a time when russia has spent $50 billion on sochi. he has been under scrutiny for his humans rights record and new laws seen as openly discriminating against gays. has been looking for measures to his which will burnish image in the run-up to sochi. we saw him face the press. he gave as good as he got for four hours. confident,y in strutting his steps mode. analysts say he has had a good geopolitical year. nothe other hand, it is impervious putin. he still has some bomber abilities. he probably has some of the business community whispering in his ear. rigid he still has some vulnerabilities. he probably had people saying you have nothing to lose. you are in a position of strength. release the guy. it will help you to stir the economy and get business back in. we have had almost $70 billion in capital outflow from russia, a tremendous amount of money. he wants to get that back and restore trust. he wants

stunt a smart move but most intriguingly about what's next for mikhail khodorkovsky and he's now a r.t. moscow weiland russian news of hundred days came as a shock high profile here a pair of figures who are more reserved in their reaction as laura smith now or poor. i've been looking at the newspapers this morning and of course they are all covering it the guardian newspaper is pretty news itself it calls the development unexpected but the telegraph newspaper used the word uses the word bombshell not once but twice in the article what it's writing about the pardon of had of course so it has come as a big surprise here we've had a little bit of reaction particularly out of germany the foreign minister says that he hopes for a quick release which we understand it will be the case and calls the pardoning a good decision angela merkel the chancellor says that she's glad that it's finally happening she said maintains that she's been pushing for it in various meetings with president putin over the years and the head of the european parliament martin shultz also says that it's a step in the

international so after a decade of incarceration we call khodorkovsky is free russia's most high profile prisoner left jail and travel to germany on board a private jet that's got the latest now from who is in berlin so what is the latest you're hearing from the german officials that. well the latest is that mikhail khodorkovsky is here in the german capital we believe but we can't confirm yet that he is in the market and along the hotel just down from the brandenburg gate in fact very close to where our studios are here now the reason we believe he's in that hotel is because former german foreign minister hans dietrich genscher was seen leaving not hotel now just again she has been instrumental apparently in securing a visa for mikhail khodorkovsky to allow him to come here to germany now we heard from russian prison authorities earlier on friday that said as soon as he left prison he was issued with a german passport with a father with a russian passport in order to allow him to travel but it appears that mr again she has been working behind the scenes along with the the german governm

former russian tycoon mikhail khodorkovsky is getting ready to meet the press after finally being reunited with his family in the early following his surprise release from prison. also this week eighty civilians are executed by islamist rebels in syria while western nations coming peace talks might not just add removal after all . and a big deal for ukraine russia agrees to buy fifteen billion dollars of its debt and slash the price of gas which kiev hails as its rescue from bankruptcy. and i welcome you watching the weekly here on r.t. international. now in a few hours may hear what it called ski set to give his first press conference since he was released from jail after ten years behind bars the man who was russia's most high profile prisoner is now in berlin where he was reunited with his parents and son on saturday artie's peter oliver is following events later on sunday he's going to be holding a press conference where he'll meet the world's media and outline perhaps what he's going to be doing next we're all looking forward to seeing what he has to say it is a paid press conference

for more oil tycoon mikhail khodorkovsky says he's not interested in politics or business at his first news conference after a decade behind bars we get live express an opinion from germany shortly. ago islam is rebels in syria legibly massacred dozens of civilians during a battle in the suburbs of the capital damascus. and crowds gather in central kiev planted government protests to brace for over a month as ukraine secures a fifteen billion dollars economic rescue deal from russia. back in the past seven days top stories and the latest developments this is the weekly on. x. oil magnate. says he has no interest in pursuing politics or being involved in business he's been holding his first major news conference since being released from jail after ten years peter one of the reports now from but in. that time while he was speaking to journalists he expressed his gratitude to those who had supported him throughout the years that he was in prison and expressed his gratitude to those so they helped him once he being released he paid specific gratitude to the german off overseas on to form

in a written statement khodorkovsky said: >> but president putin didn't stop with khodorkovsky. in a surprise announcement he said he pardoned 20,000 prisoners including two members of the pussy riot punk rock ban and 30 greenpeace activists. the members of greenpeace were taken into custody after protesting on a russian oil rig in the arctic ocean. what is behind letting all these prisoners go? putin has one eye on the winter olympics and the bad publicity he has been receiving towards attitudes towards gay athletes. >> the president sees the olympics as a real showcase. >> he didn't concede very much. both khodorkovsky and pussy riot were scheduled for release in a couple of months. >> he potentially could use that money to run political complains from abroad, but i don't think he'll be as naive as he was in 2003, when he thought he was so wealthy he could take on the kremlin and the russian state. >> reporter: just weeks from the start of the olympics when the eyes of the world will be focused on sochi. >> they think this is president putin trying to move attention away from

former russian tycoon mikhail khodorkovsky is getting ready to meet the press after finally being reunited with his family in following his surprise release from prison. also this week eighty civilians are executed by islamist rebels in syria while western nations signal upcoming peace talks might not need a sad removal after all. and a big deal for ukraine russia agrees to buy fifteen billion dollars of its debt and slash the price of gas which kiev hails as its rescue from bankruptcy. i. know that you're watching a weekly here on r.t. international now in a few hours time a chaotic of ski is set to give his first press conference since he was released from jail after ten years behind bars the man who was russia's most high profile prisoner is now in berlin where he was reunited with his parents and on saturday well let's go live now to the german capital and speak to artie's peter oliver. the hotel where he's staying for a number of hours apart from his close friends and families anyone caught a glimpse of him. well those that have been in to see him are few and far between has been real

you can get more on the release of mikhail khodorkovsky at our web site r.t. dot com and we have reports in-depth analysis and opinion. to syria now where a suicide bombing near a primary school has killed up to seven children in the province of this comes after dozens of civilians were allegedly massacred by islamists in the town of artie's arabic channel went there to talk to eyewitnesses. error still fills the hearts of those who witnessed the militants entering the town about drugs they saw panic disoriented people running for their lives and they ran themselves they will never forget the despair in the eyes of those who were forced to stay behind we have no reliable way to communicate with the people trapped inside address but officials are saying the atrocities against the civilian population are continuing our people are being butchered and even burned alive and every bit of news coming out of the town is doing a new blow to those whose families are still being held by the militants and everyone working for the local authorities was to be killed regardl

for the tycoon president putin's decision to pardon mikhail khodorkovsky may have caused a bombshell at home but it's only a reserve reaction of. the syrian kurdish community presses for a seat at the negotiating table the upcoming geneva peace talks hoping to grab the opportunity to secure their rights. and on the team of wiki leaks journalists make a road movie about their mission to blow the whistle we talk to one of them about changing the world. it is friday morning here in moscow it's r.t. international with me roar from everybody here thanks for joining us one of russia's highest profile prisoners for oil tycoon mikhail khodorkovsky is set to walk free president putin said he'll pardon him after getting his appeal for clemency. he has spent a decade in jail on tax evasion charges and the announcement of his release came as a big surprise as a tease and he said now it reports. he may well be one of the most well known prisoners in the world but the idea of a pardon for former russian tycoon mikhail khodorkovsky was unexpected to say the least read really with. the news came abs

khodorkovsky is in germany, but what does his future look like in russia? >> we don't know if he will return or stay in the west. andnow his family and wife children are staying in switzerland. after germany he will go to switzerland. takenther is currently care of in germany because she suffers from cancer, so we don't know. today the head of the great state corporation said eventually they could even propose a jump. >> that is surprising. >> it surprising, but he said we don't have a top management could a copy -- ofdorkovsky will stay a lot time with his family because his children grew without him. he is very attached to his parents and especially his mother. asked what was his hero in life, and he wrote a touching text about his mother. i think he is not in the think whaten now to will happen in a month or three months. we shall see. >> he insisted on a statement. admit toed he did not guilt, so he remained the fire. >> yes, but you should take the statement carefully. he did not admit his guilt, but he refused to ask for a pardon from the man who put

from behind bars to burlington former russian tycoon mikhail khodorkovsky is in germany looking forward to being reunited with his family following his pardon and release from prison. defense at a price eight and a half trillion dollars goes on they counted for less than two decades is passed to keep the pentagon running. and friday prayers turned violent in egypt as police dispersed supporters of the president who were protesting against the law restricting demonstrations. there would welcome to you watching international now after a decade behind bars the man who was russia's highest profile prisoner is now in germany whiting to be reunited with his family mikhail khodorkovsky was released from a penal colony and arrived in berlin late on friday following a bombshell pardon by president putin let's get more details now from our teams in the france lindsay obviously he must be looking forward to seeing his family how soon will that happen do you think well very soon indeed and do we know that his mother plans to get to berlin as soon as possible in fact we just spoke with her about her

and legal cases brought against russia's football tycoon mikhail khodorkovsky had to be reviewed the move by the country's highest court could lead to previous sentences being overturned. even if you just joined us a sense nine pm here in moscow when i was cavanagh in our top story tonight an hour to international hell fire missiles drones and fighter jets the iraqi military is about to get an upgrade from the united states the lethal aid is meant to help baghdad fight al qaeda linked groups gaining territories both in iraq and in syria can report. the iraqi prime minister asked for help because al qaeda is not just active in iraq but it's gaining territory to an extent that they're talking about in the islamic state the u.s. is now rushing dozens of hellfire missiles and surveillance drones to the iraqi government to combat this jihad is the insurgency there the cia is also reportedly helping them with targets inside iraq but al qaeda is gaining momentum in iraq largely because they've been able to establish a strong food hold in the neighboring syria so you have let's say a jihadi

from behind bars to a former russian tycoon mikhail khodorkovsky isn't germany looking forward to being reunited with his family follow his bargain and release from prison but i'm here outside of the hotel where because of what it calls believe to spread freedom yes we'll be bringing you all the latest on this story as it develops. defense enterprise eight and a half trillion dollars goes out accounted for in less than two decades as part of the effort to keep the pentagon running. and another charges slapped on egypt's toppled leader mohammed morsi over the twenty eleven prison escape as police crackdown on his supporters who were protesting against a law or restricting demonstration is that. international news and comment live from moscow you're watching aussie international with me. and a very well welcome to the program just hours after being released from prison guard recall ski's back in the lap of luxury the former oil tycoon was one of russia's richest men before being jailed a decade ago but following his presidential pardon he jumped on a private jet and flew to berlin and is

so who is khodorkovsky and what does his freedom mean artie's an isa now we brings us up to speed. he may well be one of the most well known prisoners in the world but the idea of a pardon for former russian tycoon mikhail khodorkovsky was unexpected to say the least bit of four hour q. and a and not one question about for the whole ski and then this but you don't know who the kosi recently wrote a petition on asking me to pardon him but i showed him where he spent more than ten years in prison and this is a serious punishment he saw as humanitarian reasons saying his mother is secure in the i believe taking jew account of all the circumstances it's possible to take a respective decision and in the near future i will sign a decree to pardon him the former c.e.o. and founder of the oil company yukos built a fortune that made him russia's richest man after the collapse of the soviet union snapping up state assets at a bargain price in often dubious circumstances rather caused the fall from grace began in october two thousand and three when he was arrested on charges of fraud and tax

international after a decade of incarceration mikhail khodorkovsky is free russia's most high profile prisoner left jail and traveled to germany on board a private jet went on. joins me now live so germany seems to be very involved in all of this hasn't it. well germany has been very involved in deed what we've seen is. arrive here burly in short a failed airport on a private jet there was apparently ordered for him by former foreign minister hans dietrich genscher he was the foreign minister in the eighty's and early ninety's now it turns out mr gain share has been instrumental in orchestrating this move of . leaving jail in russia and arriving here eventually in the evening time local time in berlin now he also it seems it organized him a one year shain gandee that it would allow him to to stay in the european union in the end zone there now speaking we understand now that he is in a hotel in central just needs of the brandenburg gate. just again she has since spoken on german television now in that in that interview that he give he said that mikhail khodorkovsky was grateful to the

a day after his father was released from a russian prison for more oil tycoon mikhail khodorkovsky says the entire family has been reunited in the german capital. washington is told to rein in unaccountable defense spending at the pentagon amounting to eight point five trillion dollars since one thousand nine hundred six. the charges of egypt's embattled former. prison break in two thousand and eleven as the dissent on the streets is. the first time in my life that the child is locked up in the military prison for having. the ongoing political witch hunt in egypt. the story of a schoolboy thrown behind by showing support for the country's. top story. live from our studios here in moscow where it's just past eleven pm this is international. has met his whole family and the german capital the former oil tycoon fu straight after being let out of a russian penal colony on friday following a presidential pardon auntie's peter all of the reports from outside the hotel where he's believed to be staying. well macao holocaust is first full day of freedom was a day of reunification with family he

that's cap khodorkovsky back to the latest on khodorkovsky. >> francine, what an extraordinary weekendvsky talking to the press for the first time as a freeman in more than a decade. just 36 hours after walking out of prison, russia's most famous before that, flying in here. now the country's most famous dissident in exile in berlin. he was greeted at this press conference like a rock star. they had to hold back the start of it he cause there were fights breaking out between the cameramen who were jockeying for position. absolute pandemonium in the room. you'd expect him to come up fighting? quite the opposite. he says he was a challenge putin, -- he says he will not challenge president vladimir putin. support any political opposition. >> to the question of sochi. it is a celebration of sport. something which millions of people celebrate that should not be damaged by a boycott. obviously, the event should not become a great party for president vladimir putin. >> keep in mind, the 41 into prison he resources richest man with an estimated $13 billion at the helm of the world's fourth- la

former russian tycoon mikhail khodorkovsky is getting ready to meet the press after finally being reunited with his family in berlin following his surprise release from prison. also this week eighty seven ians are executed by islamic rebels in syria while western nations signal upcoming peace talks might not need a sad removal after all. and a big deal for ukraine russia agrees to buy fifteen billion dollars of its debt and slash the price of gas which kiev hails it fresh from bankruptcy. and i welcome you watching a weekly here on r.t. intensional. now in a few hours mikhail khodorkovsky is set to give his first press conference since he was released from jail after ten years behind bars the man who was russia's most high profile prisoner is now in berlin where he was reunited with his parents and on saturday parties peter oliver has been watching the scene at the five star hotel where the ex thai king is stay. because of course he spent his first full day of freedom in ten years here. and the other lot hotel just behind me though he met with his son pavel who flew from new york at order