The provided text is an excerpt of a speech or an interview given by Mikhail Khodorkovsky, a Russian businessman and former owner of the Yukos oil company. In the text, Khodorkovsky talks about his experiences in prison, where he was held for over a decade on charges of tax evasion and embezzlement.
Khodorkovsky mentions that he was warned by an unnamed person not to cross Putin, as the president consistently shakes hands with people before turning against them. He also talks about how he was arrested and put on trial, and how he was sentenced to 9 years in prison.
While in prison, Khodorkovsky went on a hunger strike to demand better treatment for his fellow inmate, Vasily Aleksanyan, who was HIV-positive and was being denied medical care. He also mentions that he was subjected to psychological manipulation by the prison authorities, who used the uncertainty of his future to control him.
Khodorkovsky expresses his gratitude to the prison for giving him time for reflection and allowing him to become a better person. He also talks about the importance of self-discipline and the need to maintain one's dignity in the face of adversity.
The text also mentions that Khodorkovsky was eventually released from prison and allowed to go abroad, reportedly due to humanitarian circumstances, including the ill health of his mother.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. The speaker had a conversation with someone on the eve of a meeting.
2. The speaker discussed Putin's potential reaction to a situation.
3. Putin consistently shakes hands.
4. The speaker estimated that 25% of Russia's citizens believe Putin takes bribes.
5. The speaker mentioned a deal related to oil.
6. The speaker's colleague, Platon Lebedev, was placed in a punishment cell.
7. Platon Lebedev was not released from the punishment cell, leading to a dry hunger strike.
8. The speaker was arrested in Novosibirsk.
9. Vasily Aleksanyan, the head of the speaker's legal department, was placed in a pre-trial detention center.
10. Vasily Aleksanyan was HIV-infected and spent a year in the detention center.
11. The prosecutor's office offered to release Vasily Aleksanyan if he gave evidence against Khodorkovsky.
12. The speaker demanded that Vasily Aleksanyan be transferred to a civilian clinic.
13. The speaker went on a hunger strike until a decision was made about Vasily Aleksanyan's transfer.
14. Vasily Aleksanyan developed AIDS and was released, but soon died.
15. The speaker was accused of stealing oil produced by Yukos.
16. The speaker was accused of stealing 350 million tons of oil.
17. The speaker's lawyer told him to interrupt the prosecutor during a trial.
18. The speaker spent 7 years in prison.
19. President Putin decided that the speaker would have to serve 8 years in prison.
20. The speaker's faith is worth his life, and he is willing to die for it if necessary.
21. The speaker believes that prison has changed him for the better.
22. The speaker spent enormous effort protecting his property as a co-owner of Yukos.
23. The speaker had to turn a blind eye to many things to preserve and increase his property.
24. The speaker believes that the main thing in life is not possession, but being and freedom.
25. The speaker was writing a decree when Putin spoke to him.
26. Putin referred to circumstances of a humanitarian nature, including the speaker's sick mother.
27. The speaker's mother was told she had a year left to live in August 2013.