Following his father’s release from prison today, Pavel Khodorkovsky gave a brief telephone interview to CNN.

“It was a very tumultuous past 24 hours; I did not know what to expect following the announcement by President Putin yesterday,” said Khodorkovsky’s son. “But it has happened very swiftly and I am very glad that my father is released. Obviously, it is a very good kind of shock to all of us.”

Pavel Khodorkovsky described his father’s release as “the greatest christmas gift” he could have asked for over the past ten years.

Asked about Mikhail’s future plans, Pavel told CNN, “My father doesn’t have political ambitions it’s up to him, of course, to decide what he wants to do. I think the first items on his list are his family and his friends right now.”

Stay tuned for more reactions and information on Khodorkovsky.com.