A year ago, on October 25, 2003, Mikhail Khodorkovski was arrested

Wednesday, January 29, 2020

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His mother and wardens from Matrosskaya Tishina prison gave an account of a year spent by the former richest man in Russia behind bars. Special detention unit (officially - Pre-trial Detention Centre or SDU, # 4), where Mr. Khodorkovski is kept, used to belong to KGB. After the number of KGB-related prisoners dwindled, the Izvestia newspaper writes, it became a destination centre for VIPs of the criminal world. Formally, SDU # 4 has the same internal regulations as other detention units; however, in reality, the living conditions there are much better. Mr. Khodorkovski's 12 sq. meter cell, located on the fourth floor, accommodates 4 people. His parents were allowed to bring a color TV-set and a refrigerator to the cell. The unit also has cells with showers, but the ex-head of Yukos didn't get a place in one of those. "Khodorkovski does not complain about anything and does not make any requests," said SDU # 4 senior warden Sergei Denisov. "He behaves according to conditions he found himself in. He actively uses our library - reads books on history, philosophy and science fiction. He takes a good care of himself - he is always well-shaved and has an accurate hairdo. He visits a hair-dresser at least once a month." A day in prison for Mr. Khodorkovski starts at 6 am, like for all other inmates. A warden flips a cover on a peephole and a guard shouts "Reveille!" At 8 am a simple breakfast is brought to the cell - bread and tea. A prisoner's daily allowance for food is 25.39 rubles (US $1 equals 28.87 rubles). Twice a week, prisoners can receive food parcels from relatives. Mr. Khodorkovski prefers vegetables and fruits. One of the few pleasant events in prison is a daily walk for an hour. At this time, Mr. Khodorkovski enjoys a short run around the inner prison yard. The guards don't interfere. "As long as he doesn't run through the gates," kindly explained one of the guards to a reporter. Another pleasant form of pastime is a workout in the prison's gym. Prisoners can use it twice a week and they have to put their names on the list beforehand. According to Marina Khodorkovski, Mikhail's mother, her son lost some weight during the past year, but his spiritual state hasn't changed a bit. Khodorkovski confessed to her that he finally gets enough sleep for the first time in the last 15 years. He asked me to bring him more nuts - he and his cellmates like nuts for some reason," Marina says. "He always boasts about the cleanness of their cell - he makes everyone to keep the cell tidy." According to Mikhail's mother, no one in the family even tires to make predictions about the future developments in his situation. "I think he will never return to business and certainly will never indulge in politics. Frankly, he never even wanted to get involved in politics," Khodorkovski's mother suggested.

Bookmark A year ago, on October 25, 2003, Mikhail Khodorkovski was arrested