Berezovsky was the architect of post-Soviet Russia not once but twice. His first invention was the devilish Yeltsin-era equation where the rich carved out great chunks of state property, then turned their money into power over and over again … But it’s Berezovsky’s second legacy that we live with today: Vladimir Putin. Putin was Berezovsky’s creation.

—Owen Matthews, The Daily Beast, March 24, 2013

Life in Russia is dangerous for every businessman, not just for billionaires. But I made my choice: I could have sat in the quiet corner, and focused on my science, which I love—but that would never have suited me.

—Berezovsky interview with the BBC, March 2003