Khodorkovsky’s Criticism of Russian Gov’t Merits No Comment – Kremlin

The Kremlin believes that the recent interview with the former head of now defunct oil firm YUKOS, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, where he speculated about the Russian president’s possible successor was not worthy of comment, government spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The interview with the former oil tycoon was published overnight by the newspaper Sobesednik.

"I saw [it] but there was nothing to comment on in there. Nothing worth giving any attention," Peskov told reporters at a briefing.

In the interview, the former billionaire businessman, who served ten years in prison in Russia for embezzlement, slammed the Putin administration and spoke of Russia's future.

He told the outlet that Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev and Kremlin Chief of Staff Sergei Ivanov were considered to be potential candidates in the 2018 presidential election.