KREMLIN critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky, unexpectedly pardoned and released from jail, says he will not enter Russian politics, or fund the country's opposition to President Vladimir Putin.
Khodorkovsky, speaking to the press in the German capital on Sunday, two days after being dramatically pardoned by Putin, said: "I will not engage in politics, that is, fight for political power."
Despite being in prison for 10 years after being convicted of tax evasion and embezzlement, the former billionaire oil tycoon maintained that his pardon and release on Friday by Putin was "not a sign of fundamental change" in Russia.
"The authorities always wanted a confession of guilt from me, but that was unacceptable for me," Khodorkovsky said, adamantly maintaining that he did not sign any written confession of guilt to obtain a pardon.
Khodorkovsky's jail term was to have ended in August 2014. Critics have called his conviction politically motivated, noting that Khodorkovsky had funded the Russian opposition before his arrest.
In the decree, Putin said he was "guided by the principles of humanity" in pardoning Khodorkovsky.
Khodorkovsky, whose mother is suffering from cancer and has had treatment in Germany, had expressed fears he would not see her alive again.
Khodorkovsky, who has been given a one-year German visa, thanked German Chancellor Angela Merkel for what he said was her role in helping to secure his release.
"She made it possible for me to be free today," he said. Former German foreign minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher met Putin twice for discussions about Khodorkovsky, it emerged earlier.
Khodorkovsky, who also thanked the media who had covered his case over the years, said he did not know how long he would stay in Germany.
Asked if he would return to Russia, he said that if he did, there was no guarantee the Russian authorities would let him leave again.
Khodorkovsky refused to be drawn on his relationship with Putin, saying that while he had been treated harshly, "my family had never been touched".
He said he did not believe the Sochi Winter Olympics in Russia in February should be damaged in any way by opponents of the Russian government.
"Millions of people will celebrate the games, and that should not be damaged. But neither should the games be used as a great party for President Putin," he said.
He said Western governments should "remember I am not the last political prisoner in Russia," adding that he would focus his energies on helping the others walk out of Russian jails.
"I will do everything so that there are none left, do everything I can."
The former chief executive and founder of the Yukos oil giant said he had no plans to return to business, but had enough means to live on.
