Putin Surprise Pardon of Khodorkovsky Bolsters Aura of Power

For Vladimir Putin, even a show of clemency toward an adversary locked away in a remote prison is a demonstration of power.

Mikhail Khodorkovsky was released from prison today and left the country for Germany after Putin signed a decree pardoning the former oil billionaire for humanitarian reasons. The Russian leader unexpectedly announced he was pardoning his country’s most prominent prisoner yesterday in a comment lobbed at a throng of reporters as he left his annual news conference.