I don’t endorse any particular theory here, but it’s an interesting take.  A translation of Andrei Illarionov’s theories behind the release of Mikhail Khodorkovsky. Original source: Rufabula.com.

Russian President Vladimir Putin released the former head of Yukos, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, and is considering the release of two more suspects in the Yukos case in exchange for a settlement agreement of the Yukos shareholders with the Kremlin on the claim of $98 billion, which is reviewed by the international court in The Hague. This scenario was expressed by a former adviser to Putin, President of the Institute of Economic Analysis, Andrei Illarionov .

According to him, such release versions as “Putin has shown mercy “, or he gave a “signal to his surroundings – stop being impudent”, he became concerned of the country’s reputation as a democratic state, “sent a signal to the West before the Olympic Games in Sochi and agreed to the “German secret diplomacy”, are untenable, and some even puzzling.