Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Evgenii Chichvarkin will give an online press conference at our Moscow office (30 Pokrovka), and in person in London, on 18 April at 12 midday GMT

Press Release
14 04 2016

Khodorkovsky and Chichvarkin: “Ensuring fair elections in Russia is our goal“   

Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Evgenii Chichvarkin will give an online press conference at our Moscow office (30 Pokrovka), and in person in London, on 18 April at 12 midday GMT

“Our aim is to engineer the removal of Putin and his friends, from government relatively soon, to launch the political process in Russia and to organise the first absolutely free and fair elections. Creating the necessary conditions for these elections will take two years from the moment the present government stands down. During the two years of transition we shall introduce a series of reforms, including political reform to establish the system whereby the government can be voted out in an election,  judicial reform, which will lay the foundation for an independent judiciary in Russia, and a raft of economic reforms.

“Our political views may not be exactly similar, but we both feel that there is an acute need to unite all the forces which can no longer stand on the sidelines, and want to make Russia free and open. We are open to cooperation with anyone sharing our aims.”

“2017 is just round the corner and ‘it’s time to take back our country.’ ” *

Mikhail Khordokovsky, Evgenii Chichvarkin

* From the 1988 Aquarium song This Train’s on Fire, sung by Boris Grebenshchikov. The song became a rallying call for the ideals of glasnost.

Press accreditation by email to info@openrussia.org.  Applications will be accepted until 11am on 18 April.

Open Russia
16 Hanover Square
London W1S 1HT

Please note that this press conference will be given in Russian only.