Citizen K is the engaging story of exiled Russian oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky. It is replete with politics, prison, poison, and of course, Putin.
Citizen K on Amazon Prime is a must-watch. Though it is ostensibly a character sketch of exiled oil magnate Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the fulcrum is Russia’s post-communist political dispensation.
It is not without American propaganda value, but the documentary presents a rare window into the enigmatic and ruthless persona that is Vladimir Putin. Khodorkovsky, as typical a rags-to-riches story as you can get, fights and manipulates his way to control Russia’s then-largest oil company Yukos before he turns 35. This anti-hero is not alone in his success. A cabal of oligarchs carves up the Russian economy with Boris Yeltsin as their puppet.
Enter Putin
But Yeltsin has a shelf life. At the turn of the millennium, a little-known KGB spook Putin takes centre stage, propped up by the TV propaganda of his oligarch friends. But Putin, despite his awkward body language is consummate in backroom dealings. He also doesn’t want to end up as another Yeltsin. His diktat to the cabal is you make money but stay out of politics.
From a bridesmaid, Putin suddenly turns strongman. The average impoverished Russian appreciates ‘stability’, especially after the tumultuous periods under Gorbachev and Yeltsin.
Khodorkovsky commits the cardinal errors of accusing Putin of corruption in public and of wanting to bring democracy to Russia. Soon enough, it is jail time for the calm and charismatic Khodorkovsky. A couple of other oligarchs are also chased out of Russia. Putin brings in a new line-up of ‘business associates’. Yukos is swallowed by Russian state oil company Rosneft.
Khodorkovsky turns Gandhian in jail, goes on hunger strikes, mulls over his own misdeeds, and pens long political manifestos. It takes a decade for him to get out of prison and Russia. He moves to Germany and then to London where he is currently based.
Life in London
The British capital has not been such a good location for Russian opposition figures. Putin’s secret services have managed to orchestrate a series of brazen helicopter crashes, ‘suicides’ and poisonings.
Khodorkovsky bides his time with obvious if not openly disclosed Western intelligence support. He funds Russian anti-Putin figures, many of whom like TV anchor-politician Kseniya Sobchak are potentially double agents. Another recipient of Khodorkovsky’s largesse, Alexei Navalny can now be absolved of being a double agent. He has been poisoned and is currently in deep coma.
Putin of course, has ridden horses and gone fishing bare-chested and could now be President until 2036. Meanwhile Khodorkovsky dreams of a future that is 5-10 years away.
Lessons for us
In all this, the learning for India is that Russia and Putin are not to be taken for granted either as fast friends or as a vassal of China. Nobody should be foolish enough to write off Russia as an economic and political basket case that is over-dependent on oil. From the Tsars to the communists to Putin, Russia has continually re-invented and reasserted itself. In doing so, it has surprised both East and West and will continue to do so.
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