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Alexander Lebedev, Russian businessman and media owner

Russian billionaire Alexander Lebedev is building a media empire and seems to hanker after a political role. But how carefully does he have to tread in Mr Putin's Russia?

If billionaire businessmen in Russia know what's good for them they'll stay out of politics - that is the message delivered by the imprisonment of the former oil and gas oligarch Mikhail Kodorkovsky. So where does that leave Alexander Lebedev? He is vastly wealthy thanks to investments in banking, aviation and property. He's also building a media empire and seems to hanker after a political role. But how carefully does he have to tread in Mr Putin's Russia? HARDtalk's Stephen Sackur finds out.

30 minutes

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