In August 2006, a Russian court declared Yukos bankrupt following a three-year battle over an unpaid tax bill. In an effort to collect some of the $50 billion, lawyers for the former shareholders are seeking to acquire assets held by Russia in the U.S.— via a U.S. court case. If successful, the former shareholders of Yukos can resume efforts to seize Russian state assets in the U.S. to help satisfy the $50 billion award. (According to the former Yukos majority shareholders, Khodorkovsky relinquished his shares in 2005 in an alleged effort to save the company from being taken over.) Getty ImagesPolitically speaking, Putin is widely considered to have won his battle with Khodorkovsky, Russia’s richest tycoon back in the early 2000s.

Source: Forbes June 19, 2020 11:26 UTC