Investigative Committee of Russia
On 23 December 2015, a Russian court issued an international arrest warrant for Khodorkovsky whom the Investigative Committee of Russia charged with ordering the murder of Vladimir Petukhov, the mayor of Nefteyugansk, who was murdered in June 1998. Speaking on the same day on BBC, which claimed Khodorkovsky "spent much of his time in London", he said he was "definitely considering" applying for political asylum in the UK and felt safe in London.