Hans-Dietrich Genscher (right) greets Mikhail Khodorkovsky in Berlin yesterday. Photo: Reuters

 Rather than representing a concession to international disapproval, the Khodorkovsky pardon would appear to come from a position of strength, said Masha Lipman, an analyst at the Carnegie Moscow Centre. Putin has shown he can stand against international wishes - by supporting Syria's president, granting asylum to American leaker Edward Snowden and pulling Ukraine's government towards Russia and away from a deal to get closer to the European Union.

"There is no reason to suspect that he's pardoned Khodorkovsky because he is under pressure," said Lipman. "With negative publicity pouring all over him, Putin has dramatically changed the news cycle."

Khodorkovsky's mother, Marina, told RT television 

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Russia's most famous prisoner Mikhail Khodorkovsky denied yesterday that he had admitted guilt in his request for a Kremlin pardon and thanked Germany's former foreign minister for aiding his release.

 Najważniejsze. Chodorowski powiedział, że jego uwolnienie nie ma nic wspólnego z przyznaniem sie jego do winy.