Reliance on economic and legal means to achieve his political goals has long been a hallmark of his rule. More than a decade ago, the Kremlin expropriated Yukos Oil, which at the time produced 20% of Russia’s output, and jailed its founder, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, for ten years on trumped-up tax evasion charges after he dared to oppose Putin.
欧盟竞争委员会所释放的信号——市场规则面前人人平等——多年来一直为普京所不屑。用经济和法律手段取得政治目的一直是普京统治的标志。十多年前，克里姆林宫没收尤科斯石油公司（Yukos Oil，当时占俄罗斯产量的20%）并逮捕其创始人霍多尔科夫斯基（Mikhail Khodorkovsky），以伪造的逃税罪名关了他十年（因为他胆敢反对普京）。