How to Slay a Dragon: Building a New Russia After Putin

Written by Mikhail Khodorkovsky

Narrated by Derek Perkins

Mikhail Khodorkovsky is one of the most astute observers of today's Russia. Imprisoned for a decade in Russia's prisons on politically motivated charges, he knows all too well the best and the worst of his country. He now lives in exile and, like many Russians who live abroad, he longs for the day when he can return to a free and democratic Russia.

This book is Khodorkovsky's account of what is happening in Russia today and what could happen in the future. Putin will not last forever: sooner or later, there will be a post-Putin era. But Russia's history has been deeply shaped by an autocratic trap: a revolution against an autocracy has produced another autocracy, followed by another revolution and another autocracy, and so on. If Russia is to find its place as a constructive partner in a global community of civilized nations, then it has to escape this vicious cycle.

How to Slay a Dragon is Khodorkovsky's account of his own journey and of how the vicious cycle of Russian history can be broken. He charts a pathway towards a parliamentary federal republic which would enable Russia to become a free and democratic society, living in peace and without dragons.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Feb 13, 2024
• ISBN: 9798855500141

Mikhail Khodorkovsky

In the early 2000s, Mikhail Khodorkovsky was one of the wealthiest men in Russia, the head of the giant Yukos oil company, ranked 16th on Forbes list of world billionaires. But his pro-democracy, anti-corruption views led to a clash with President Vladimir Putin, who had him arrested in 2003. Convicted on politically-motivated fraud charges, Khodorkovsky spent ten years in Putin's prison camps, recognized by Amnesty International as a prisoner of conscience. Since his release in December 2013, Khodorkovsky has lived in exile in Switzerland and in the UK. He is the founder of the Open Russia movement, promoting political reform in Russia, including free and fair elections, the protection of journalists and activists, the rule of law and media independence. He has been described by The Economist as "the Kremlin's leading critic-in-exile."