Khodorkovsky to European Parliament: Anti-Russian Sanctions 'Huge Mistake'

Russian opposition figure Mikhail Khodorkovsky has addressed the European Parliament, calling anti-Russia sanctions a huge political mistake and describing them as useless.

MOSCOW, December 2 (Sputnik) – Sanctions against Russia as a country are a “huge political mistake”, Russian opposition figure and the founder of the civil society organization “Open Russia” Mikhail Khodorkovsky told members of the European Parliament Tuesday.

“I consider sanctions against Russia as a country to be a huge political mistake. Sanctions against the Russian economy in general seem useless to me,” Khodorkovsky said.

According to the former energy magnate, the thought that if the lives of the Russian people get worse, they will understand what bad leaders they have chosen, is “absolutely unacceptable”.

“It’s better not to alienate the people of Russia from Europe,” he continued.

Khodorkovsky, former head of dismantled energy giant Yukos, was freed on December 20, 2013 by a presidential pardon after spending more than a decade in prison for fraud and tax evasion. He has since relaunched his "Open Russia" movement to push for political reforms in Russia.