Russia’s Erin Brockovich: Taking on corporate greed

When the state-friendly Russian oil company Surgutneftegas held its annual shareholders meeting in the Siberian city of Surgut two years ago, the proceedings in the shabby auditorium started off as tightly scripted as a Politburo meeting. That is, until the moderator called for questions and Alexei Navalny took the stage. In front of some 300 stunned shareholders, Navalny, who owned about $2,000 worth of stock in the company, grilled senior management for several minutes about the company’s minuscule dividends and opaque ownership.
Russian oil and natural-gas giant Surgutneftegasu2019 Moscow office.
Russian oil and natural-gas giant Surgutneftegas’ Moscow office.
Times Reporter