Mikhail Khodorkovsky has granted an extensive written interview to the Moscow Times in which he criticized the social responsibility practices and anti-crisis efforts of Russia’s business elite.  Keep your eyes peeled on the official MBK site for more on this story.

“No matter what the propaganda says today, our generation, including me, managed to do a lot to recreate Russian industry on a new economic foundation despite the deterioration of management systems and the utter degradation of industrial capacities,” he said. “If Russia seriously decides to develop an innovative economy, we will see the same situation in many sectors of the industry. There is a huge field to work on.”

Khodorkovsky said he wasn’t sure what Russia would look like after the crisis. “It depends on the business elite,” he said. “If they find enough strength within themselves to draft a new strategy of development, an optimistic scenario for Russia is possible. But it will not happen if they don’t draft it.

“So far, Russia is following the same path, earning on commodities and several ‘prestige’ projects, most of which are probably unprofitable,” Khodorkovsky said, without elaborating.