俄异议人士：抵制在俄举办足球世界杯是个“巨大的错误”

Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the former Russian oil tycoon-turned-Kremlin foe who spent a decade in prison and now lives in exile, says fellow Kremlin critics should not boycott the upcoming 2018 FIFA World Cup, slated to kick off June 14 in Russia.

Russian aggression abroad, along with domestic human rights violations, have "obviously caused a serious split, both inside Russian society and in the West," said Khodorkovsky.

"There are thoughts about boycotting it, and thoughts about just turning a blind eye to everything happening in Russia during the event. But I think that boycotting the championship would be a big mistake if you think about teams going to Russia, and people and fans visiting the country," he said.

On the other hand, Khodorkovsky added, "I do believe Western leaders would be making a mistake if they were to visit the man who has created a fully authoritarian regime and has surrounded himself with a criminal clique."

"This would be a mistake, because it would be seen as encouragement, and Putin should not be encouraged," he said. "Therefore, there should be a very clear stance: 'Yes, we are visiting the Russian society, but we are not visiting the Kremlin criminal clique.'"

Human Rights Watch recently called on world leaders to boycott the tournament's opening ceremony unless Russian President Vladimir Putin takes steps to protect Syrian civilians.

Russia, which hosts the World Cup for the first time this year, is a key backer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the country's seven-year war, and the New York-based watchdog argued that Moscow's responsibility in the suffering of Syrian civilians should not be overlooked.